


Continuum

by thewalkingdead69



Category: The Walking Dead (TV), The Walking Dead - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-18
Updated: 2015-09-18
Packaged: 2018-04-21 08:35:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 44,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4822397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thewalkingdead69/pseuds/thewalkingdead69
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Follow-up to 'Use Me'. Who will Daryl and Beth come across at the funeral home and how will it change their relationship? Bethyl goodness. Lemony and smutty in all the right places with just enough of a storyline :P</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Beth stared at her reflection in the dusty mirror as she braided her hair, her skinny fingers expertly sweeping the strands of hair back from her face and fastening them with an elastic band, swinging it over her shoulder when she was finished. She stared at the girl in front of her one last time, her blue eyes meeting those of her identical twin for a moment before she blinked.

She was reminded of that childhood game she used to play with Maggie during the long school holidays on the farm. Mirrors, it was called. Someone would be the person and the other would be the reflection. The reflection had to copy the person as best they could: their facial expressions, their hand movements, their silly dance routines. The game was always judged by their brother and would always end in fits of laughter.

Beth's stomach ached at the memory of her family. Even the sound of Maggie's laughter was fading from memory too quickly, the glimmer in her eyes a distant memory that was blurred and scratched as though it were from a different life.

She faintly remembered a childhood tragedy, her first pet - a hamster named Charlie - who she'd found dead one Sunday morning after church. She'd cried for hours, refusing to allow Hershel to get rid of the lifeless mop of fur. Only Maggie had been able to calm her down. She remembered her sister's face before her tear-soaked eyes, her warm hands encasing her own with such gentleness. _"Don't cry, Bethy. Sometimes we have to say goodbye to the people we love. But they never really leave us. Charlie can look down on you from heaven every day now. Doesn't that sound better than living his life in that little old cage?"_

Maggie Greene had been the first person to teach Beth about death. She had never imagined that one day she'd lose Maggie, too.

Her eyes prickled with tears which she hurried to wipe away when she heard Daryl's throat-clearing cough from the doorway of their room.

"What you thinking about?" Daryl could be rightly accused of being many things, but unobservant was not one of them. Perhaps it was the tracker in his blood, or maybe he just knew Beth far too well, but he was always able to pick up on her most hidden emotions, regardless of how fake a smile she plastered on her face.

"Nothing. Just remembered something from when Maggie and I were kids, that's all," she shrugged it off, determined to put on her bravest face.

He didn't attempt to probe her any further which Beth was always grateful for. That was another of Daryl's strengths - he knew when to ask questions and when to be silent. She heard his footsteps approach her before his arms wrapped around her body, pulling her tight to him and filling her with warmth. They stayed that way for a moment, two people coiled so tightly together they were almost inseparable.

"I just got back from a run, I found coffee. You want some?" he finally whispered into her ear as he pulled back.

"Oh yes. That sounds like heaven," her smile turned to a shriek of surprise as he bent over and scooped her over his shoulder. He laughed deep in his throat at her squeal as he descended the stairs, taking advantage of her scantily clad bottom being right next to his face as he playfully sank his teeth into the top of her thigh.

"Daryl! Stop!" the laughter that choked her reply seemed to diffuse the seriousness of her statement as he deposited her on the kitchen counter. A pot of water was already boiling on the stovetop as Daryl reached for the jar of instant coffee that was surprisingly still in date. He shuddered to think of what kind of preservatives were used to allow coffee to survive a zombie apocalypse.

"Ferrara? Gross!" Beth wrinkled her nose at the familiar label on the glass jar.

"Beggars can't be choosers, my love," Daryl teased, spooning the instant coffee into two mugs before topping them up with boiling hot water. Despite the scent being less than appetising, his mouth still watered at the idea of coffee.

Beth took her cup with trepidation.

"I hope you don't take milk or sugar with your coffee, because we have neither," she giggled, sipping at the bitter brew and allowing it to warm her from the inside out.

"Oh, I have some sugar," Daryl replied, leaning in for a kiss, one hand stroking down the side of her face as their lips moved together in a familiar dance.

"Yep, tastes so fucking sweet," he groaned as he pulled back from her. He didn't miss the way that her eyes darkened with arousal at his words, nor how her legs opened wider around his hips so he could slide closer between them as she sat on the kitchen counter.

"Come on, drink up before it gets cold and possibly worse-tasting than it already is," he pushed the cup towards her but remained between her thighs, his hips maintaining a few inches of space between their bodies.

She obediantly took the cup of coffee he offered and took a few gulps, the burning liquid blazing a trail of fire down her throat until it hit her empty stomach.

"Good girl. Feeling more awake now?" his voice was like velvet in her ear. His hands took the cup from her, setting it on the counter out of reach before reaching for her hips to stop her from wriggling her body closer to his.

"Kiss me," she breathed, recoiling a little at the intensity of his gaze.

He complied, albeit much more chaste than she would have liked. His lips grazed against hers for a mere moment before he pulled back with a smug grin on his face.

"Happy?"

She let out a frustrated mewl that only escaped her when she wanted to turn him on, to make him see what he reduced her to.

"More. Please."

She knew the magic word.

He leant towards her again, letting her fingers run through his hair and pull him closer to her, their lips battling for dominance and her hips wriggling madly towards his, eager for contact and pressure and friction and pleasure. He sighed, releasing her hips and letting her do what she wanted. He could not contain the groan that spilled from his lips as she began grinding against him, her thin cotton panties already visibly soaked and gyrating teasingly against the top of his jeans.

"Goddamn, woman. You make me crazy, you know that?" he grumbled into the sweet skin of her neck, his fingers deftly undoing the braid and twisting his fingers through her hair, pulling her head backwards to expose more of her delicious neck for him to taste. She shivered under his ministrations, her hands squirreling their way under his shirt to slide against his hot skin, the soft hairs on his chest, the scars that ran along his back.

"Hmmm, I love you," she replied softly, loving the sensation of his lips brushing over her skin.

"I'm gonna show you how much I love you," he mumbled into the skin of her neck, causing goosebumps to spread over her flesh.

She heard knocking.

"What was that?"

"I said I'm gonna sh-"

"No, Daryl. I heard knocking," she breathed. He paused momentarily to inspect the silence of the house.

"It's just walkers, Beth. Now bring this sweet ass over here," he smirked, his fingers crawling up her thighs in a way which made her writhe beneath him.

"Walkers don't knock!" she pushed at his shoulders at the exact time that another round of knocking occured, this time louder than the last. She could hear voices as well, hushed and hurried and not clearly audible.

"Shit!" He pulled away from her so fast she almost slid off the counter, grabbing his crossbow from the kitchen table and loading it up with a bolt.

"Stay here, okay? Grab a knife or somethin'" he whispered before stalking towards the front door. Never one to actually listen to a direct command, she followed him loyally, remaining behind his broad shoulders, clutching a knife protectively in her hands as he approached the door.

Another round of knocking rattled the plate glass in the front door, Beth's eyes squinting to make out the form standing on the porch.

"Is anyone in there? Please! Open the door!" came a female voice from the other side of the door. It sounded frail and hoarse like she'd been screaming for hours.

"Are you alone?" Daryl called back, his arm swinging out to prevent Beth from stepping in front of him.

"No, no. Please. It's my husband. He's hurt. We need help, please!" the voice sounded uplifted, pleading, desperate for a last chance at survival.

"He been bit?" came Daryl's sharp reply.

"No. I promise. You can check us both for bites. We're clean. Please, let us in. We've just escaped a group of Walkers-"

Beth gasped out loud, her intake of breath catching Daryl's attention. His eyes turned to meet hers briefly, to see the glimmer of hope that shone in her eyes.

"She called them Walkers," Beth murmured. Daryl felt his pulse throbbing in his carotid artery. Of all the groups he'd come across since the world went to shit, he'd heard many derogative terms for the vicious creatures that populated the earth. Rotters. Biters. Stinkers. Corpses. Zombies. Deadheads. But only one group of people had ever referred to the undead as Walkers.

"She called them Walkers!" Beth suddenly screamed, her hand grabbing the front of Daryl's shirt and shaking him.

"Beth?"

The voice behind the door, once unsure and frightened, suddenly throbbed with hope and raw emotion.

Beth let out an almost inhuman strangled yelp, diving towards the door and struggling to open all of the locks Daryl had installed, her fingers clumsy and useless in her desperation. Daryl moved forward, pushing her aside gently as he flicked open each lock and pulled open the front door.


	2. Chapter 2

Sunlight flooded the dim entryway of the funeral home, causing stars of light to flash before their eyes as they adjusted to the figures standing in front of them.

Beth whipped past him, faster than the speed of light, immediately jumping at her sister. Maggie toppled backwards under her weight, her chest already heaving with sobs as she struggled to actually produce the words she wanted to say.

"Bethy! I didn't-, I haven't- I can't believe-" she sobbed into her hair, squeezing her tight as if she never planned on letting her go.

"I'm so happy you're alive, I've missed you so much," Beth sobbed back, allowing her sister to place clumsy affectionate kisses all over her forehead like she used to do when Beth was a toddler.

A groan coming from the porch alerted Beth to her sister's travelling companion. A very pale and exhausted Glenn sat slumped against the porch railing, watching their reunion with a weak smile on his face.

"Oh, Glenn!" Beth crawled towards him, pulling him in for a hug, feeling his pulse hammering against his clammy skin.

"Hey Bethy," he mumbled, patting her on the back before wincing in pain.

A set of arms pulled her to her feet.

"Come on, we gotta get you inside before the Walkers hear all of yer screaming," Daryl muttered, his eyes scanning the line of trees surrounding the funeral home. With a little help from Maggie, Daryl hoisted Glenn up and dragged him as gracefully as possible into the entryway, Beth quickly shutting and relocking the door carefully.

Daryl deposited Glenn on the couch where he sat wheezing.

"What happened?" Beth knelt in front of his prone figure, her fingers prodding his skin to find the source of his injury.

"We were getting chased by Walkers. I was running backwards, firing at them. It was stupid, it was my own fault. A sneaky little bastard came up behind me and Glenn pushed me out the way. It lunged at him, and he had to dive to the side and ended up rolling down a bank. I can't know for sure but I think he's broken his rib. He got a nasty cut on his leg, too, but I didn't have anything to stitch it up with. I tried to clean it as best I could, but I think it's infected," Maggie gulped back a sob.

"It's gotten worse this last couple of days. I knew I had to find somewhere for us to stay or he'd -" she broke off, her voice shaking.

"I can stitch him up and we have some antibiotic cream left over. Don't give up, Maggie," Beth breathed, reaching up to squeeze her older sisters hand.

"I'll go get the first aid kit," Daryl disappeared momentarily, returning with the same needle and thread Beth had used to stitch his own wounds.

It took a lot of compromise and some shouting from Maggie before Glenn would consent to being stitched up without anaesthetic, but the crazed look in Maggie's eye shut him up before long, and he finally allowed Beth to cut away the material of his jeans that clung to the cut on the back of his shin.

She wrinkled her nose at the scent of infection, her practiced fingers quickly debriding the cut as best she could before beginning to stitch the skin back together. He hissed in displeasure, emitting the occasional curse word between gasping for air, while Maggie sat perched on his thighs, preventing him from moving away from the needle.

Once the cut was sewn shut, Beth applied some of the antibiotic cream to the fresh wound, saying a quick prayer to the Lord that he'd find a spare moment to help Glenn live. Seemed almost ironic to pray in this godless world, but she was in no position to be picky.

"Can't do nothin' for his ribs," Daryl's voice suddenly piped up from behind her.

"We should wrap them, to stop him from moving too much," Maggie mumbled.

"Ain't supposed to do that when the world was good, that'd kill him now. You wrap his chest and his rib will puncture his lung. Best to just leave it," he replied.

Beth tried to ignore the quizzical look on Maggie's face.

"What year did you graduate Harvard, Dr. Dixon?" she muttered.

"Maggie, leave it," Beth whispered.

Daryl shrugged off the comment.

"Had a lot of my own ribs broken back in my day. My shitbag father could never be fucked taking me to the hospital after he'd beaten me, so I had to treat it myself," he stated as simply as if she had asked his opinion on green or red apples. His fingers ghosted over his own ribs as he spoke, almost as if he was reliving the memory of them snapping under his father's fists.

"Sorry, I didn't know," Maggie mumbled, immediately humbled.

"Don't sweat it," Daryl deftly yanked Glenn's legs down the couch until he was laying down and began packing the cushions around him to take pressure off of his injured side.

Maggie stood there in shock, clearly unfamiliar with this new and caring side of Daryl.

Glenn's eyelids started to droop as Beth grabbed one of their blankets and draped it over him, placing a glass of water within reach on the coffee table.

"I'll turn him over in a couple of hours. Don't want any blood pooling on one side of his chest," Daryl grumbled as he ushered Beth out of the lounge room and into the kitchen. They left Maggie sitting on the edge of the couch, wiping at Glenn's brow with a damp flannel while he snored wheezily.

Beth reached for him instinctively, burying her face in his chest and inhaling his scent like it was pure oxygen. She fought back the sobs that tore at her throat, tears of joy instead of pain. He held her softly, his lips brushing gently against her hairline.

"Thank you for taking care of Glenn," she murmured into his shirt.

"S'no problem," he mumbled in reply. She tilted her head upwards for a kiss, her baby blues blinking up at his, shining with admiration. He let out a sigh as his hands moved to her shoulders and pushed her backwards, out of his embrace. He almost kicked himself at the expression of rejection that settled on her features.

"Beth, I don't think it's a good idea..." he trailed off, pleading silently with her questioning eyes.

"What's not a good idea?" her voice sounded strained.

"This. Us." He gestured towards the air between their bodies as if she was supposed to decipher the unspoken signal.

He saw something else flash behind her eyes as her arms immediately crossed over her chest, her legs taking a step backwards as she continued to glare imploringly up at him.

"We are a bad idea?" she paraphrased, testing out the sentence and deciding that she did not care for it.

"Not right now. Not while Glenn's like this. I don't think Maggie could handle any other news right now. Especially something like this-" he broke off, suddenly aware that he had crossed some sort of line.

"Something like this? What's this, Daryl? Are you that ashamed of what we've been doing?" her chin was tilted towards his like before however this time her stance was defiant and stubborn.

"What? How could I ever be ashamed of you, Beth? You're the only part of my life I haven't fucked up and I plan on keeping it that way," he gritted his teeth.

"Maggie's never liked me much and you know it. She's exhausted right now. Glenn's in a bad way, Beth. If the infection has spread into his bloodstream it's useless even trying. She knows that. She doesn't need to come to terms with her baby sister shacking up with the last man she'd choose for the job. You know it ain't fair to do that to her," he shoved his hands into his pockets to resist the urge to reach out and touch her.

Beth swallowed audibly, her eyes darting towards the lounge room to reassure herself that her sister was not within earshot.

"I understand what you're saying, but I need you," she whispered into the space between them. A space that suddenly felt like miles.

"Beth, I've needed you since you were fresh outta fifteen. I waited for damn near two years. You'll be fine," he closed the space between them for the last time, his lips hot and urgent on hers, one hand squeezing the flesh of her backside almost painfully hard. When he pulled back she was breathless, her lips swollen and her body screaming for more.

He turned away from her burning gaze with ease, disappearing upstairs and into their shared bedroom. He reappeared moments later carrying his clothes, his extra bolts, his boots, dumping them in the smaller bedroom where Beth had cried on her first night in this old house. It was his bedroom now. They would sleep alone.

"Beth! Beth come quick!" a shout shook her from her thoughts as she heard Maggie's desperate cries. She almost tripped over the loose carpet as she flung herself into the living room, preparing for an Undead Glenn to be stalking her sister. Instead she found Glenn to be very much alive, however shivering and panting on the couch. Maggie sat sprawled on the floor beside him, her face white with shock.

"I think he's running a fever. This is bad, Bethy. Fever's ain't good. Oh god, Beth, what should we do?" tears were streaking down her face. Beth immediately grabbed the damp flannel and re-wet it with cold water from the kitchen before wringing it over Glenn's face.

"Fever's ain't all bad, Mags. Fevers are the bodies way of killing infection, remember? We just gotta stop him from getting too hot or he'll seizure," she spoke calmly as she dripped the cold water over his face and into his sweaty hair, fanning at his face and neck as she did so.

"Oh God, oh God, oh God, it's happening isn't it. He's really sick. He's gonna get worse," Maggie was mumbling, her hands fussing about uselessly. Glenn's forehead scorched Beth's hand as she went to touch it, her mind immediately reeling with their options for treating this fever before it damaged his brain.

"Maggie! Get Daryl!" she started pulling Glenn upright on the sofa, swinging an arm over her shoulder.

He appeared in the doorway before Maggie even had a chance to pull herself to her feet.

"Shit. What happened?" he immediately stepped forward, taking Glenn's weight from Beth and hoisting him up, supporting him by his shoulders.

"His temperature is high. We need to get him in the bathtub now." Daryl did not argue, hoisting Glenn into a more secure position before ascending the stairs and tipping him as carefully as possible into the bathtub. Three sets of hands immediately went to work. Maggie ripped off his shirt, his jeans, his boots and socks. Daryl slid into the tub behind Glenn's flaccid body, keeping his chest straight and his head up. Beth turned on the cold water faucet, the unexpectedly frigid substance filling the tub inch by inch until both Glenn and Daryl were submerged to their waists.

Beth hurried to lift his bandaged leg out of the tub, feeling quite certain that the water was not clean enough to submerse a healing cut in.

"Holy fucking shit, this is cold," Daryl grunted, but his complaining was hushed as Glenn started to stir in his arms.

"Maggie?" his voice croaked.

"Ssh, I'm here Glenn. You had a fever and lost consciousness," she cooed, craning her neck over the side of the tub to make eye contact with him.

"Who's b-b-behind me?" he shivered.

"That would be Daryl," Maggie smiled slightly.

"But I'm naked," Glenn replied, a little more life returning to his voice.

"Yes you are. But I can assure you, I've never felt less attracted to you than I do right now," Daryl grunted from behind him.

A weak laugh escaped Glenn.

"You're gonna be okay, Glenn. We're gonna get you better, okay?" Beth reached out to push his hair out of his eyes.

"This is so r-r-romantic. I feel like I'm in Titanic or something," he replied. Maggie's eyes sparkled at his attempt at humour.

"Maggie, can you help me with the first aid kit? I'm going to need to redress his wound when his fever is down," Beth took Maggie's hand and dragged her from the bathroom, leaving a very awkward-feeling Daryl lying in a cold bathtub with a very naked Glenn.

"So, um, I guess this would be a bad time to tell you I've had a crush on you for a year now," Glenn broke the silence between them and his joke produced a heartfelt chuckle from Daryl.

"Shut up, Chinaman," he teased.

"Oh and just so you know, it's usually way bigger. It's just the cold water, I swear," he continued.

"I'm about to drown you," Daryl grunted, but found it impossible to stifle the grin that spread across his face. Glenn's humour - although questionable - was a surefire sign that he was out of the woods for now at least.

It took all three of them to get Glenn out of the tub and back into his clothes, not to mention the effort required to hold him down as Beth cleaned and rebandaged his wound. They finally resettled him back on the couch, his ribs supported by the sofa cushions.

"You need to get some sleep. You can share my room," Beth offered as Maggie collapsed into an armchair alongside her husband.

"No, no. You go to bed. I just wanna stay here with him in case anything happens," she reached for a blanket to cover her legs. Beth saw no point in arguing with her headstrong sister, and bid them goodnight as she headed upstairs to her lonely, empty bedroom.

Except her bedroom wasn't empty at all. Daryl stood alongside the bed, glancing up when he saw her enter.

"Sorry, I didn't even think. I just walked in here by habit. I'll leave now," he made to brush past her, but her hand shot out to latch onto his forearm.

"You don't have to leave," she whispered softly. "You can stay in here with me," she tried to sound tempting but all she really wanted was for him to hold her. He growled low in his throat.

"Why you gotta make this so hard for me, Beth. I'm trying to do the right thing here," he stepped towards her and bowed down, their foreheads brushing against one another.

"What a coincidence because I've just changed my name to The Right Thing," she giggled out loud at her silly pun, loving the way it coaxed a smile from his lips.

Without a word, he pressed his lips to her forehead for a mere second, a chaste goodnight kiss that was so different from any kiss they'd shared before.

Before she could argue with him or start to undress and lure him into her arms, he was gone from her room, his bedroom door clicking shut. Beth sighed, not even bothering to properly undress as she threw herself atop the bedspread, utterly exhausted. She saw nothing good about the prospect of sleeping alone after months of slumbering in the hot and crushing embrace of Daryl Dixon.


	3. Chapter 3

"So how did you end up stuck with Daryl Dixon of all people?" Maggie piped up as they strolled through the woods. It was a mild day, the air wasn't yet sticky with humidity and there was a pleasant breeze. Optimal hunting and foraging weather. Beth lead the way, Daryl's crossbow securely over her shoulder. If Maggie was surprised that Beth had reached for it as naturally as if it were her own weapon of choice, she had hidden it well.

"I got off the bus. People were getting shot at. He saved my life. That's all," Beth's reply was short. Her sleep last night had been fitful at best, her arms constantly outstretched, seeking the heat and warmth of Daryl's arms.

"I'm still angry at you for getting off the bus," Maggie added. Beth couldn't control the sarcastic eye roll.

"Need I remind you what happened to everyone that stayed on the bus?" she replied cooly.

"Point taken," Maggie snapped back.

"Where did you guys go, though? After the prison fell?" she prodded.

Beth sighed, becoming very aware that Maggie would not let up until she provided every shred of information.

"We took off into the woods. We camped for a few nights. We found an old shack where people stashed their moonshine. I hurt my ankle-"

"Wait, wait, wait. You didn't drink any moonshine, did you? He didn't let you drink a strangers moonshine, surely!" Maggie interrupted.

"I hurt my ankle," Beth continued as if Maggie had never spoken, "and he carried me. We spent a night stuck in the trunk of an old car as Walkers swarmed us. We found this old funeral home. That's all there is to know," she finished.

"Did he ever hurt you?" Maggie's question stunned Beth enough to lower the crossbow to the forest floor.

"What? Haven't you been listening? The man saved my life on more than one occasion. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"All I know is he's a Dixon. Don't pretend you weren't scared shitless of Daryl and Merle at the prison. Of all the people I'd want to be stuck with my sister, he'd be my last choice," she murmured.

"He is nothing like Merle." Beth struggled to keep her voice calm and nonchalant.

"You know what I mean, Beth. Those guys don't know how to treat women. I'd die of shock if at least one of them didn't have a rape charge against his name. Just because the world's gone to shit now, doesn't mean all the criminals have seen the grace of God and-"

"Daryl has never hurt me, Maggie. He's been nothing but good to me. I'd be dead if it wasn't for him, and I know it," Beth cut her off.

"I know he's saved your ass, Beth. I'm just not naive enough to believe that he ain't been expecting anything in return for all of his protection."

Beth bit down on her tongue hard enough to draw blood, it was the only way to stop herself from saying all of the things Daryl had forbidden her to utter.

"I'm just sayin' this because I care about you. I don't want you to think you owe him anything for looking after you. Men like him take advantage of little girls like you-"

"How am I a little girl anymore, Maggie? Is there any part of me that looks immature to you? I've been a woman for a long time now, and you're the only one who refuses to see it. I was weak when the prison fell, and he's the one who taught me to fight, to fire a gun, to use his crossbow, to hunt and track and to be just as strong as you are!" Beth flung the crossbow back over her shoulder and took off ahead of her sister who remained stunned into silence.

"Jeez, Beth, calm down!" Maggie cried, setting after her as she spun around to face her sister once more.

"He opened the front door for you and Glenn, didn't he? He sat in the freezing cold bath with your husband holding his head above the water last night. Yet you still think it's acceptable to ask if he's forced himself on me? If he's taken advantage of me, no - raped me, in exchange for my own protection? What does he have to do to prove to you that he's a good man?"

Maggie remained silent, her eyes downcast. Beth was panting by the end of her rant, her chest heaving with the effort of containing the tears that threatened to spill over her face. She suddenly understood with an overwhelming clarity what Daryl had tried to explain to her earlier. Maggie would not be able to see past his history, their age difference, Beth's non-existent innocence. She already felt as though she'd said too much by defending him so savagely.

"Maybe we should head back," Maggie murmured softly. Beth nodded her agreeance, allowing Maggie to lead the way back towards the clearing of the funeral home.

She was mentally kicking herself on the walk home, suddenly aware that if it were difficult to tell Maggie about their relationship before their last conversation, it would be damned-near impossible now. Beth was quite sure she'd quelled all of Maggie's doubts about a physical relationship between herself and Daryl, and to confess that they had indeed been sleeping together (albeit for reasons completely different to Maggies) would almost feel like defeat. It would be as if she had spent the last fifteen minutes standing in the forest screaming at her one remaining family member for no good reason.


	4. Chapter 4

It was becoming much harder than he'd ever imagined to simply stop wanting Beth. He'd thought initially that it would be fine. After all, he'd wanted the girl for so long and had done nothing about it. Surely rewinding to a point in their lives where he hadn't yet touched her or kissed her or fucked her couldn't be too hard.

He was a damn fool for believing that lie for a second.

Nothing was harder than ignoring Beth Greene.

Every morning he awoke in the wrong bedroom, with nothing but a spare pillow at his side. Their eyes flickered past one anothers throughout the day, unsure of where to look.

Each day he'd look for an excuse to brush past her, to touch her in some tiny insignificant way that wouldn't appear suspicious or overly friendly. He'd reach for her hand to pull her up an embankment in the woods, or he'd brush a fallen leaf out of her hair. Anything to just physically touch her, to feel her warmth and her life under his hands. Each minuscle touch was electric, coursing through his veins and causing the front of his jeans to tighten uncomfortably.

She soon caught onto his less than innocent intentions, and began playing along. She acted like it was an innocent mistake to drop whatever she was holding when he entered a room, just so she could drop to her knees in front of him to pick it up. She brushed up against him with persistence, sometimes allowing her backside to drag across his arousal, or the soft swell of her breasts to nudge his back as she pretended to lean across him or reach around him. His teeth gritted in a selfish attempt to just grab her and give her what they both wanted - no - needed.

He liked to surprise her. On more than a few occasions when Maggie was showering or asleep and Glenn was couch-ridden, he snuck up behind her and pulled her tight against his body, her squeal of surprise muffled by his hand as he turned her around to face him, his lips crashing into hers desperately, her fingers clawing at the material of his shirt as their tongues duelled passionately, her back pressed to the wall.

Sometimes, she pleaded with him to touch her, to kiss her, to bite her, and it was physically painful for Daryl to continue to resist. Those big blue eyes could make him do just about anything, especially when it came to favours that would be as mutually satisfying as sinking his teeth into her neck or rolling those perfect pink nipples between his fingertips while she mewled and writhed in pleasure. He often found himself in precarious situations, with Beth's shirt ripped open and her legs wrapped around his waist, that wet intoxicating heat from her centre warming his groin and signalling to his brain that he needed to unzip his jeans and thrust up into her body.

"Please, Daryl. I don't care about Maggie. I need to feel you inside me, nothing feels better. I know you want me, Daryl. Don't you want to feel me? Don't you miss how tight I am? The sounds I make when you're pushing me over the edge?" she breathed erotic words into his ear with each meeting, her tempting monologues testing his patience and his self-control.

"Jesus, Beth, why you gotta say those things to me girl?" he'd groan, his fingers twisting in her hair.

"I can't help it. I need you so bad, every time I see you my body just wants you. Can't we break the rules just once? She doesn't have to find out. You can shove my panties in my mouth to keep me quiet."

Needless to say, Daryl's dick was in a permanent state of discomfort. She made an effort to shoot him a look that just begged him to take her, and he would feel himself swell uncomfortably within the confines of his jeans. She took this opportunity to stare pointedly at the prominent bulge in the front of his jeans before licking her lips, almost giving Daryl an aneurysm with every nymphomaniacal look. Her attempts at seducing him repeatedly urged him to rethink his decision to keep their relationship from Maggie. After all, even Maggie's wrath could not be as physically painful as restraining himself from Beth's gazes and soft touches. He needed that woman more than his heart needed blood.

One particularly difficult night, she'd been in the bathroom, showering. Daryl realised it was her as soon as he heard her singing emanating from behind the closed door. He knew better than to take one step closer, so he remained with his back to the wall in the corridor, waiting for her to finish. She took her damn time as if she knew he was standing only a few feet away from her. When she finally opened the door she was towel-drying her damp hair. The scent of her shampoo filled his nostrils and immediately made him reminisce about what they had done in that shower together.

She was wearing a pair of cotton shorts that were so small and tight they made Daryl's entire body ache for her.

"Sorry if I kept you waiting," she announced louder than she really needed to. He knew it was for Maggie's benefit instead of his.

"No problem. Is the bathroom free now?" he boomed, perhaps a little too loud as she rolled her eyes at his poor acting skills.

"Sure is! Goodnight, Daryl," she replied before taking a step towards him and rising up on her tippy toes to whisper in his ear.

"Think about me in the shower. I've just finished thinking about you," her hand reached up to him, her middle finger swiping across his lips as his pupils dilated with lust. He recognised that scent anywhere. It was her. That nectar he hadn't tasted for the longest time was all over her fingers. He vaguely registered the sensation of her tiny hand shoving something into his closed fist before she brushed past him and padded back to her bedroom.

He stared at the door as it swung shut, suddenly overcome with the urge to take off after her, to drag her into the bathroom with him, to rip those stupid cotton shorts off her body and sink into her tight heat, rutting into her until she was shaking and spent and drenched in both of their sweat.

Somehow he made it into the bathroom, his hands fumbling for the taps to turn on the warm water. He unfurled his fist to reveal a faintly familiar piece of fabric that was soaked in the same juices she'd just brushed across his lips. Oh, her panties. Of course she had given him the panties she'd worn as she'd rubbed herself to climax.

He could almost picture her standing in the exact same spot he was in, her fingers teasing at first but soon on a mission, disappearing behind the material of these panties as she brought herself to the edge. She'd been thinking about him. He wondered briefly what he'd been doing to her in her own imagination as she circled her own clit and mewled at the sensations. Was his face buried between her legs, licking and suckling and thrusting with his tongue relentlessly until her thighs clamped around him like a vice? Was he making love to her all gentle and sweet like she deserved? Or was he fucking her hard, the way he knew she secretly loved, his hands bruising that porcelein skin as he claimed her body as his own.

The second he stepped into the shower, his hand went directly to his dick, almost grunting aloud at the sensation he had been yearning for. He buried his nose in the scrunched up material of her panties, inhaling nothing but her sweet scent, filling his nose like honey as he stroked himself harder. He wanted Beth in here with him. He wanted her on her knees, her hot little mouth taking him all the way in until he hit the back of her throat, her head bobbing dutifully as he fisted his hands in her hair.

He wanted his calloused hand to be replaced with her soft one, to be thrusting into the velvety heat of her body instead of his right hand. His hand squeezed tighter as he attempted to recreate how she felt when she came around his cock, the way those walls clamped down on his entire length again and again, pulsing and milking and begging him to explode inside of her. Nothing could replace the way her body felt wrapped around his, but his hand was just enough to finish him off. He couldn't contain the name that escaped his trembling lips as he came hard, wishing that it was landing on her pretty face, her soft tits or her smooth backside instead of the shower floor.

He stood directly under the spray of the shower which was steadily turning colder by the minute. One hand braced his weight against the wall of the shower, the other slowly stroked his oversensitive length as he waited for his breathing to return to a normal rate. But the fire remained burning through his veins. He thought his little shower session would calm him, would expell some of the overwhelming desire he had for that woman in the bedroom down the hall. But if anything, it made the inferno burn hotter than before.

He dried himself off haphazardly, pulling on clean clothes before exiting the bathroom and checking the corridor for any sign of Maggie. He could hear Glenn's soft snores from downstairs, and the occasional clink of metal emanating from the kitchen confirmed Maggie's location. His heart thumped heavily in his chest, constricted with desire and fear of their discovery. He steeled himself and made his way as silently as humanly possible towards Beth's bedroom door.

He threw it open perhaps a little more dramatically than he needed to, and found her curled on her side, sleeping peacefully. It only took him five seconds of observation to realise that her breathing was uneven and that the corner of her mouth twitched microscopically as she tried to hide a smile. Without hesitation he ripped the sheet off her, exposing those ridiculously small cotton shorts that quickened his pulse. His hands grabbed her ankles, yanking her down the bed towards him as she suddenly abandoned her sleeping act in surprise.

"Hey-" she cried out, but was cut off at the sight of Daryl standing over her at the end of her bed, suspending her legs in the air and looking down at her as if she were prey.

"You think I'm in the mood to play a fucking game with you, Beth? Such a fucking cocktease, aren't you, love? I think you left these in the bathroom," one hand reached into the waistband of his boxers and pulled out the scrunched up pink panties, throwing them at her and watching them land on her chest with satisfaction.

"Did you stroke yourself?" she breathed, her hand trying in vain to reach the front of his boxers but her wrist was slapped out of the way.

"I'm more interested in what you did to yourself," he responded, his hands running up her thighs to grasp the fabric of those stupid little shorts and pulling them down her legs, leaving her naked from the waist down. She whimpered at the expression on his face as he slowly trailed one finger along her slit.

"Still so fucking wet, Beth. Is this all for me?" he glanced up at her mischeviously, waiting for her frantic head nodding.

The tip of his finger stopped at her clit, pausing for a moment before dragging some more of her moisture up to coat it, his finger making slow and teasing circles.

"How did you touch yourself?" he growled, his voice low and throaty.

"W-what?" She struggled to form a coherant sentence at the sensation of his hands on her there.

"In the bathroom. Did you tease yourself like this? Making yourself all nice and wet?" he continued to circle her clit with the pad of his middle finger, watching her closely to judge what she responded to. Her eyes closed of their own accord which he was not condoning.

"Look at me, Beth. Look at what I'm doing to you," her eyes shot open, a low whine in the back of her throat as her hips tried to buck against his hand, to obtain contact and pressure and pleasure.

"Ssh, love. I know you love it when I do this, but you have to keep quiet or else Maggie's gonna hear you screaming my name and when she comes looking for her baby sister, she'll find you in a compromising position won't she?" he finished his sentence just as he sank one finger deep into her heat causing her to writhe up against him.

"Is this how you touched yourself?" he languidly stroked his finger into her body, slowly adding a second digit, noticing the way her body tried to thrust against it, to fuck herself on his hand. He couldn't help to hold back the groan that escaped him at the sight of her desperation for pleasure. Fuck, she was so goddamn tight. He was constantly amazed that he managed to fit his cock inside of her when she was clenching so goddamn tight around two fingers. He curled inside of her, that legendary come-here motion that allowed him to press up against that little patch of nerves inside of her that made her clamp down even harder around him.

"Is this how you made yourself come, Beth?" he whispered, feeling a little lightheaded at the erotic nature of this entire situation. She shook her head forcefully as she struggled to say the right words.

"No! I c-can't r-reach it by - oh! - by myself," she stammered, her hips rising off the bed, begging him to curl his fingers faster and harder inside of her. Her croaky voice was more of a turn on than he'd bargained for, and he winced at the increasing pressure building in his boxers.

"That's right baby. I'm the only one that can do this to you," he groaned, his free hand moving to her clit to frantically circle it, knowing that if she didn't finish soon he was bound to rip off his pants and sink into her and this wasn't about him. This was about her.

"Oh god, yes, please don't stop," her eyes were closed now, and nothing could make her open them as her brain became frazzled with too many sensations all at once. It was too much, the pressure building inside of her, the slick fingers that were fucking her, rubbing her, bringing her closer and closer to that precipice with each passing second.

"Wanna see the look on your face when you-". He didn't get a chance to finish his sentence when Beth's back arched so far off the bed that he almost panicked for a moment before recognising the rhythmic pulsing around his fingers as her impending orgasm.

"Holy fucking shit," he grunted as he saw every muscle in her stomach tighten uncontrollably, her hips shaking as she tipped over the edge. He moved the hand that was circling her clit just quick enough to shove his fingers deep into her mouth before she screamed, biting down hard as she came. He kept his other hand between her legs, his index and middle finger buried in her impossibly tight heat, stroking that spot inside of her. It was only as she started to come down from her high that he noticed the copious amounts of sweet slippery fluid that covered her stomach, his hands and his chest.

He glanced up at her, her head thrown back in the pillows, her teeth still clamped down on his fingers, her chest heaving and her legs quivering.

"Beth," he whispered softly into the dark room. She let out a sigh that communicated that she was listening but just unable to produce her own speech.

"You squirted," he placed a kiss on her sticky stomach, inhaling the scent greedily.

She jolted upright with a look of panic and embarrassment on her face.

"I did what?" she gasped, her eyes taking in the slick fluids that covered both of them.

He chuckled at the look of shock on her face.

"Don't be embarrassed. It's not a bad thing. It's fucking sexy, actually," he placed an open mouthed kiss on the crease of her hip, licking at her skin as he did so.

"I'm sorry," she breathed. He pulled his damp shirt over his head before sliding his body up hers, their bodies slickened from her juices. She wrinkled her nose at him.

"You're getting it all over yourself," she moved to push him away but he silenced her with a long and passionate kiss.

"Ain't nothin' sounds better than smelling of you all day long. Knowing I did this to you. It's one of my proudest moments," he smiled bashfully down at her, relieved when a shy smile finally lit up her face.

"I thought I was gonna black out," she murmured, threading her fingers through his hair as he buried his face in her neck.

She turned her head as she heard Maggie moving around downstairs. Daryl was at the end of her bed in no time at all, grabbing his shirt from the floor and pulling it back over his head.

"Sweet dreams, princess," he whispered to her as he turned to leave.

"Wait! Aren't you gonna take a shower?" she grimaced at the sight of her juices covering his chest. He grinned like the cheshire cat, stalking back to her bedside before placing a long and slow lick up her body from the apex of her thighs to the hollow of her throat.

"I think I just did," he whispered in her ear, before turning away from her and pulling her bedroom door shut behind him and turning to find Maggie standing at the other end of the hall, a confused look on her face.

"Where's Beth?" she glanced back towards Daryl's room which was obviously empty.

"She's in there, sleeping," he gestured to the door he'd just come out of, aware that he was unable to bullshit himself out of that one.

"Is everything okay?" Maggie was looking him up and down like he was a psychopath. Granted, he was quite sure he looked like one at the moment.

"Yeah, it's all good. She just left her knife on the bathroom counter so I thought I'd return it in case she needs it." Admittedly this was quite a believable lie for Daryl, and he stood there hoping and praying that Maggie would accept it.

"Oh, okay. I was just gonna say goodnight but if she's already asleep..." she trailed off.

"Goodnight, Maggie." He was desperately trying to convince her to turn around and walk back downstairs as if this entire encounter had never happened.

"Glenn's been asleep for a few hours now, if you could come downstairs and help me turn him in a couple of hours, I'd appreciate it."

"No problem, Maggie. Just come and get me."

"Goodnight, then." She finally turned away from him, making her way back towards the staircase and far away from this terrible awkward situation.

He let out a breath he didn't even realise he'd been holding as he skulked off back to his room and crawled back into the cold sheets of the bed that smelt only of him and nothing like her.


	5. Chapter 5

Ever since the night he had snuck into her room, Daryl had made no further attempts to seduce Beth. It wasn't as if the desire was not there - it most certainly was - but Glenn's health had declined and he was spending his days shivering one minute and sweating the next. Maggie refused to accept that he wasn't improving, spending hours crouched by his side with a flannel held to his head, whispering soothing nonsense into his ear as he slept fitfully.

Beth's stomach was in a constant state of knotting and twisting each time she passed the lounge room and caught glimpses of Glenn's pale and clammy skin. He couldn't die. Maggie would fall apart without him, and Beth doubted whether she was strong enough to keep her sisters head up. She had accepted back at the prison that Glenn was now Maggie's priority, her first choice. She couldn't help but wonder whether Maggie didn't wish that the tables were turned: that her husband was still healthy and strong while her sister lay dying on the couch.

One evening Beth sat by the fire, setting out their spare clothes to dry. Daryl was out hunting, but she could hear his voice calling for her long before he came barging through the front door.

"Beth!" his voice was ragged, he'd been running. She grabbed the fire poker as her only weapon before flinging herself into the entrance hall to find Daryl with an eager grin spread across his face.

"What's wrong? Are there Walkers? Are you okay?" her mind was running at a million miles an hour.

"There's a vet clinic down the road. Don't know how I missed it all this time. Looks like it's been trashed, but there's gotta be something left we can use for Glenn," his hands grabbed her shoulders hard.

Maggie appeared in the entrance hall upon hearing his last sentence, a look of adoration dawning on her face before she ran to him and threw her arms around his neck in a hug. Daryl was more than a little shocked at her unusual display of affection towards him, and moved to awkwardly pat her back.

"I'll just grab my gun and we'll go," Maggie was already back in the lounge room before she had finished her sentence, holstering her handgun and grabbing a handful of extra bullets that she stuffed into her jeans pockets.

Beth and Daryl stood alone in the hallway.

"You need to stay here and watch Glenn. You're the one person who knows how to look after him if anything goes south. Okay?" It was phrased as a statement, not a question. Once again Beth had been delegated the babysitters job. She felt like she was back at the prison.

"Fine. But just- be careful, okay? I need you here." She tried to hide the fact that she was on the verge of tears at the prospect of being alone in this house without Daryl.

Maggie was still fussing around in the lounge room, her shoes clicking noisily on the hardwood floor. Daryl took a step forward, his lips brushing against the top of Beth's head.

"You know I'll always come back to you," he whispered before he opened the front door and disappeared into the twilight with Maggie.

Beth let out a groan as she watched their silhouettes fade from the plate glass in the front door. She poked her head into the lounge to confirm that Glenn was still alive and asleep before she started walking through the funeral home, gathering the trash that had accumulated in each room and discarding it. She washed dishes, folded the clothes she'd left out to dry earlier, and tidied the kitchen and bathrooms. God, she felt like a housewife. In a goddamn zombie apocalypse she still somehow ended up with the most menial of tasks.

She cracked upon a tin of peaches and spooned some into a bowl which she left beside Glenn. He'd eat later if he felt hungry.

Only two hours had passed.

She slowly made her way back up to her room, allowing her weary body to fall backwards against the cool sheets of her bed, her body bouncing off the mattress just a little. Her head fell to the side, watching her reflection in the mirror that covered the wardrobe door. Her mind swam with memories of her first night in this house, of Daryl carrying her in here and throwing her on the bed, licking and kissing and stroking her in all the right places while she'd watched him helplessly in the mirror.

God, she missed being with him. It had been weeks since she'd last shared his bed, since she'd last felt him moving inside of her, pulling at her hair and scraping at her neck with his teeth. Weeks since she'd come undone beneath him, on top of him, beside him. Weeks since she'd felt him stiffen or heard his breathy whispers into her ear as he rocked harder into her body, eyes squeezing shut as he reached his climax.

It had been weeks since they'd fucked. Made love. Had sex.

And it had been months since her last period.

Not an alarming number of months, not really. She hadn't enjoyed the simplicity of a regular cycle for as long as she could remember. She barely ate, she was in a constant state of stress, she could easily identify each bone of her skeleton when standing naked in front of the bathroom mirror.

It had all seemed so romantic at first - the idea of making lazy afternoon love, of Daryl impregnating her, pouring a little of himself into her to make their own hybrid copy that would be the best of both of them. His strength and courage, her bravery and kindheartedness. To watch her belly swell with his child, for him to spend their evenings running his hands over her bump to feel every kick and squirm of their tiny human. To finally give birth and to be able to hold their creation, their tiny ray of light in this desolate world.

But with each wave of nausea that swept over her in the middle of the night, with each secretive purge into the toilet bowl in the early hours of the morning before he awoke, her stomach clenched with the uncertainty of what lay before her.

Their boots crunched against the gravelly road in a loud and repetitive rhythym that soon had Daryl wishing he'd come on this run alone. Maggie walked besides him, a look of steely determination on her face as her hand nervously stroked her gun which she'd holstered at her hip.

"How much further to go?" she asked again. Daryl resisted the urge to roll his eyes. She'd been asking the same damn thing every few minutes and it was slowly driving him up the wall.

"About halfway there. Stop stressin'. We'll get there," he grunted as he picked up his speed. He heard her muttering something under her breath which was most likely derogatory and full of cuss-words, but he chose to ignore her.

At long last he reached the dilapidated but promising veterinarians office, the blue and white sign which would have once lit up proudly now hung from an electrical wire, the lights smashed and a smear of blood intersecting the words 'Dr. Chapman's Veterinary Clinic'. Maggie cast an apprehensive look at the building as she observed the smashed glass windows, the door which had been ripped off the hinges and left lying on the ground, and the decayed bodies of dispatched Walkers that littered the ground in front of the entrance.

"Somebody's already raided this place. What if there's nothing left?" her voice shook with uncertainty.

"Gotta be something," he mumbled under his breath, praying for a single vial of anything useful to save Glenn and stop this woman from constantly getting under his skin.

Maggie burst through the doorway first, gun drawn, finding the interior of the office devoid of all human life. There was an empty birdcage sitting by the reception desk with what looked like human entrails sitting at the bottom of it. Daryl fought the urge to gag as the combined stench of rotted Walkers, decaying humans and wet dog filled his nose. He jumped over the reception desk to escape the scent, following a long corridor past the vet offices and staff room until he reached a thick white door with the lock still intact.

"Maggie, come here. Think I found the meds," he called out, the sound of her boots clicking against the tiles as she approached him.

"The door is locked," she stated as she tried to pull on the handle.

"Obviously. Shoot it."

"Oh. Of course," she flushed bright red as she took a step back, aiming for the lock before pulling the trigger. The gunshot rang out in the tiny corridor, temporarily deafening both of them as Daryl kicked at the door, finally releasing the shattered lock and revealing a long line of shelves full of medications.

"Holy shit!" He heard Maggie breathe as she took in the sheer quantity of untouched medical supplies that nobody had thought to raid.

"Hurry up. I'm pretty sure you've attracted some Walkers with that shot," Daryl murmured, starting to sweep the contents of each table into a backpack. Bandages, IV lines, gauze, antiseptic, more antibiotic cream, steroid cream, iodine, bags of saline and suture kits while Maggie stood in front of a large shelf of antibiotics, muttering to herself.

"What's the hold up?" Daryl shouted as he heard the familiar low growls of Walkers in the distance.

"I'm trying to remember what my Dad used to say about veterinarian antibiotics!" she snapped back at him.

"Can't you just take everything?" he replied, sticking his head out the door and seeing a small swarm of Walkers approaching the vet clinic from the woods, walking slowly but surely towards them.

"I can't do that! Some of these aren't safe for humans. I could kill him if I take the wrong one! I think it's supposed to end in 'mycin' or 'cillin'," her voice was quickly becoming shrill as she recognised the low grunts of the corpses that had heard their voices.

"Maggie, they're coming closer," he warned, his voice trembling as he realised that the small swarm had now doubled in size.

"Just wait. I need one minute. I just need one minute," she was panicking, trying to read all of the tiny labels at once. Daryl could hear the first of the walkers walk directly into an intact window, causing it to shatter as glass spilt all over the floor in the waiting room.

"For fuck's sake, we don't have a minute," Daryl pushed Maggie out of the way, smashing the glass medicine cabinet with the end of his crossbow and sweeping every single bottle and pill packet into the backpack.

He turned just in time to see a Walker stumbling up the hallway towards them. Maggie hesitated before running to the white door and pushing it shut just in time. The Walker scraped against the frame with it's rotted fingers.

"How do we get out?" she gasped.

"Quickly. Once the rest get down here, we won't be able to keep the door closed," his eyes scanned the small room until they landed on a small skylight above one of the shelves.

"Up there. You go first and take the backpack. I'll hold the door," he braced himself against the white door as Maggie started to pull herself up the shelf, climbing up the metal frame until she was able to push on the latch to open the skylight. Daryl watched closely as she hoisted herself out onto the roof, her boot-clad feet disappearing from view.

Now was his moment of reckoning.

He pushed away from the door as Walkers piled up against it, their combined weight pushing the door open and allowing them to spill into the small room just as he hoisted himself up the shelves and out of reach. One Walker tried to follow him, attempting to pull itself up but getting a rib hooked on the edge of the steel frame and hanging comedically.

He glanced up to the window and saw Maggie reaching out to him.

"Come on, we gotta go," she found his hand, yanking him ungracefully through the skylight just as another more coordinated Walker grabbed at his boot.

He landed on his back against the roof tiles, Maggie next to him, their breathing heavy and their pulses racing.

"You okay?" he breathed, feeling winded.

"I've been better," she mumbled as he slowly pulled himself to his feet and reached down to help her up.

"At least we have the drugs," he managed a small smile, feeling the weight of his backpack nestle comfortably between his shoulder blades.

"Let's head back. I don't think Glenn has much time left," she replied.

Beth jolted up in her bed as she heard the front door fling open.

"Beth! You okay?" called the familiar voice of her sister. She took a quick look at herself in the mirror, her cheeks looking a little tear-stained and her skin a little pale.

"I'm coming," she called back, pulling herself out of bed and heading downstairs to find an exhausted Maggie and an unimpressed-looking Daryl standing in the hall with a backpack that was overflowing with bottles.

"We- took- everything," Maggie huffed as she sank to the floor to catch her breath.

"I'm the one who had to carry it back," Daryl grumbled, but not before aiming a wink in Beth's direction.

Beth quickly went to work unpacking all of the supplies they had found, attempting to decode which antibiotics she would need to use and how much of each one. The dosages were all in reference to animals, not humans, and Beth did not want to be the one responsible for killing Glenn with the wrong drugs.

Maggie woke Glenn up just long enough to swallow a couple of crushable pills with a tiny sip of water before he dozed off again. It was a tense few hours of waiting and watching. Neither Beth nor Maggie had any idea if Glenn was allergic to antibiotics, and they sat nervously while they waited for his fever to respond.

Finally after the third hour, Beth touched her hand to his forehead and found the skin to be warm, but not hot. She breathed a long sigh of relief. She knew there was little chance that the antibiotics had kicked in that fast, but the knowledge that his fever was slowly succumbing to their treatments was a relief.

She finished off the open can of peaches for dinner, her stomach turning at the sickeningly sweet taste of the stewed fruit. It was almost ironic how much she used to love peaches as a young girl, and yet now she was stuck eating them for almost every meal.

Daryl passed her in the hallway as she made her way to bed, his hair still damp from his shower and his lips brushing so incredibly lightly across her forehead before he disappeared into his room. She remained in the hallway, able to watch him as he pulled on a fresh shirt and black boxer briefs. She could see the moonlight softly illuminate the scars on his back and the tattoos on his arms. She missed all of him so desperately it was as if they weren't even sharing a home. Her body started humming for him everytime he walked into the same damn room as her, and it was physically painful to deny that she wanted his arms wrapped around her for the rest of forever.

He turned slightly as he moved to set his crossbow by the bed and caught sight of her standing there in the hallway.

"Hey, beautiful," he murmured, striding over to the doorway and pulling the door open, an unspoken invitation to enter his room. She was frozen to the spot, unable to take another step towards him without fearing that her secret would come blurting out, but unable to turn her back to him either.

"You ok? Something wrong?" his brow furrowed as he watched her standing awkwardly before him as though they weren't so completely familiar with eachother. As if she was embarrassed, or shy to be gazed at by him.

"Yes. No. Nothing. Just wanted to say goodnight," she stammered, her fingers fumbling with the material of her shirt.

He took another step towards her until he could wrap her up in his arms completely, her head tucked comfortably under his chin, their bodies slotting together perfectly in every way.

"Love you," he mumbled into her hair, not missing the small squeak that escaped her. It sounded like a sob, like a brief moment of weakness. Before he could question her, she had pulled away, her hands rubbing at her eyes, hiding her face from him as she turned and scurried down the hall towards her bedroom.


	6. Chapter 6

Later that night, once Maggie had fallen asleep alongside her softly snoring husband, Beth walked down the corridor separating their bedrooms. She entered his room without a sound, but he awoke immediately. He couldn't help but respond to her.

"Beth, what are you-" he started to argue, but she was having none of it.

"Ssh. Please. I miss you, Daryl," she sat on the end of the bed, crawling towards him until he was close enough to lean down and kiss. He had missed her too, she could tell by the urgency of his mouth against hers. She let out a quiet moan at the desperation behind his kisses, at the way his hands reached for her body, his fingers digging into her flesh as though he was trying to mold their bodies together.

"Jesus Christ, Beth. You're making it damn hard to control myself right now, you know that?" he growled as he felt her hands running under the material of his shirt, tickling the skin of his chest with a light touch.

"I don't want you to control yourself, Daryl. I can't sleep without you next to me. I can't spend one more day pretending like I'm not in love with you," she breathed, his hands coming to her hips to stop her rhythmic grinding against his pelvis which was making it difficult for him to think straight.

"You know I love you, baby. But Maggie-" she placed a finger to his lips to silence his weak argument.

"Maggie is asleep," she finished, her eyes flashing down at him. She grasped his hand and pulled it to her chest, placing it over her beating heart, directly between her breasts as her other hand rested on his own heart. She smiled to herself as their pulses synched together, their hearts beating at the same rate in two separate bodies.

"I miss you touching me," she breathed, gently nudging his hand to the side until it rested over her left breast, her nipple pebbling against his palm through the thin material of her shirt.

"God, I miss your hands on me," a soft sigh escaped her when his other hand came up to palm her other breast, loving the warmth and the give of her skin under his fingers. She watched his face carefully, the way his eyes were wide and glistening like a kid in a candy shop as he pulled the flimsy material of her shirt up to engulf a nipple in his hot mouth, flicking and circling mercilessly with his tongue. She couldn't contain the cry that spilled from her lips at the sensation, nor could he ignore the way he glared up at her in warning before turning his attention to her other nipple, his hand kneading her flesh deliciously.

"You're the only one who knows just how to touch me to make me - oh! -" her hips bucked against his as he softly suckled on her nipple. She felt the evidence of his desire straining against the material of his boxer briefs, sliding against her core as she rubbed up against him. She caught the quick shiver that ran through his body at the sensation and she raked her nails over his shoulders, pulling his head back from her breasts for just one moment.

"Tell me to leave, and I'll go back to my room alone," she stared into his once-blue eyes, now darkened with desire and lust.

"I can't do that," he growled, his hands moving to her backside to grind their centres together. Beth's head flew back at the sensation. She could feel her own wetness running down her inner thighs, slowly soaking the front of Daryl's boxer briefs as he moved against her.

"I need you, Beth. Need to feel you. Need to be inside you. Can't ever get enough of you, baby," he was murmuring, his hands pulling at their clothes haphazardly. She let him rid her of her remaining clothes, sliding down his front to grasp his erection firmly in her hot little hand, enjoying the gasp that escaped him at the sensation. She stroked him a few times before leaning in to lick a blazing hot trail from base to tip, remembering exactly what drove him crazy. She corresponding whine he produced at her action allowed a smug grin to settle on her face before she leant in to take him fully into her mouth. She was completely unsure as to why she didn't do this for him on a daily basis, as having a grown man who prided himself on his strength and manliness squirm helplessly underneath her was endlessly entertaining.

"Fuck, Beth, stop," he grasped her under the shoulders, pulling her up his body like a ragdoll. She grinned mischeviously up at him.

"What's the matter? Didn't that feel good?" she teased, loving the almost dazed expression that lust produced on Daryl's face.

"Too fucking good, Beth. Don't wanna finish like that. Wanna finish inside you. Wanna feel you come all over me," his bold statements made her swallow hard, a rush of heat pooling between her legs as he rolled her over, his arms bracing her legs over his shoulders. He knew she liked this position because it allowed his length to rub against that patch of nerves inside of her while his fingers could reach the bundle at the apex of her thighs. Last time they'd made love like this she'd come so hard he almost couldn't get back inside of her, her muscles clenching so incredibly tight that Daryl could not resist finishing right there and then as she screamed his name and dug her nails into his back, her hips rising and falling uncontrollably against his.

He allowed the tip of his length to graze against her heat, producing a mewling sound from his lover. Without thinking, he reached over to the bedside table to grab for a foil packet, watching Beth's weary eyes follow his movements.

"What are you doing?" Beth stammered, watching his practiced fingers rip at the perforated edge to reveal the slippery latex beneath.

"What does it look like, baby?"

"Don't. I wanna feel you," she reached for the condom, hoping to throw it into a shadowed corner of the room and forget that it ever existed. He swatted her away playfully, completely unaware of the pounding in her heart.

"I know we've been a bit stupid lately, but we can't afford to keep risking it. The last thing this world needs is a baby Dixon running around, especially now that your sister's here."

The darkened room hid Beth's tight lipped smile as he thrust into her like he had so many times before.

She clung to him as he rocked into her, his hands maintaining a vice-like grip on her thighs as their hips pistoned together. She said all the right things, made all the same sounds, and when she came she came hard, milking him quickly to his own release.

His body rested on top of hers, his forearms holding the weight of his torso off of her body as she lay beneath him, her face turned to the side.

"I love you, baby," he whispered into her ear, planting sweet kisses on her shoulders.

"Since when have you called me baby?" she replied cooly.

"Huh?" Daryl rolled to her side, waiting for her to curl into his chest like she always did after sex. But she remained where she was, flat on her back with her head turned away from him.

"You used to call me princess. Or sweetheart. Now all I hear is baby, baby, baby," she sat up suddenly, pulling the sheets to cover her chest.

"I didn't realise. I'll stop if you hate it so much," he shrugged, completely unsure of why she was getting so worked up over a stupid term of endearment.

"I don't hate it. You hate it." She grumbled under her breath as she struggled to pick up her clothes from the floor without exposing herself to him.

"What are you talking about? Get back here, Beth," he patted the space beside him and was met with a look of contempt she had never given him before.

"No. You're the one who doesn't want my sister to know about us. Don't you just want me to leave?" she snapped.

"Beth, we will tell her everything once Glenn is out of the woods. You said yourself that you understood. Don't give me shit about it now!"

She glared at him before standing up and ripping out the sheet from under him to wrap it around herself.

"But what if Glenn never gets better? He hasn't moved in two days, Daryl. We got his fever down, but what if that's not enough? What if he dies? What do we do then?" Her voice was becoming progressively higher and squeaker with every question. Daryl had to fight the urge to tell her to calm down, but he already knew what that would get him.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it!" he struggled to keep his voice calm and low out of fear of enraging Beth and waking her sister.

"I can't keep doing this, Daryl. I can't keep up this bullshit act. I don't want to sneak around with you to spare Maggie's feelings. I don't wanna be ignored by you just so that she doesn't get suspicious. It's useless!"

"Beth, please-" he scooted off the bed, moving to stand in front of her, part of him wanting to grab her by the shoulders and shake her until she saw sense.

"We can't hide this forever, Daryl. She's going to find out soon enough when the baby comes-" she stopped, her hand slapping over her own mouth, completely unsure of whether she had just spoken that last part out loud. The blank expression on Daryl's face seemed to indicate that she had. Silence filled the room, white noise almost deafening as they stared eachother down.

"What baby?" Daryl managed to sputter, although his mind was already processing the information he knew he was about to recieve.

"Ours," she breathed. She fell to the floor in front of him, sobbing openly now, her tiny fists clutching at the fabric of the sheet that was wrapped around her.

Daryl suddenly felt incredibly lightheaded, his stomach dropped like a stone inside of his abdomen as he watched her crying on his bedroom floor. She looked like a fallen angel, crumpled and broken and afraid.

His hands moved to his face, scrubbing furiously at his eyes until he saw stars swimming across his field of vision. All he could hear was her soft sobs, her hiccuping breath, her tiny choked cries.

She suddenly looked her age. Young. Innocent. A girl who had been taken advantage of, who was now left in a terrible predicament because she'd placed her trust and her life in the hands of an older man who couldn't even remember to use a rubber. He'd spent the last few years protecting her from Walkers, but hadn't actually considered the importance of protecting her from himself. After all, what he had done to her was quite possibly the most dangerous thing he could have done. There were no doctors, or ultrasounds, or medications left in the world. Lori had died in childbirth, and she'd been bigger than Beth, and was not a first-time mother. The image of Beth screaming in pain, bleeding profusely as his child pushed its way out of her body made his heart pause for the shortest moment. It was all his fault. He had done this to her.

He stepped forward unthinkingly, bending forward to gather up his angel. He scooped her up in his arms as though she were as light as a feather before taking her back to his bed, curling her into his chest and holding her body tight to his as she sobbed pitifully.

"I'm so sorry that I did this to you," he whispered into her hair, his fingers delicately brushing the stray blonde strands behind her ear as her shoulders shook against him.

"It's my fault, too. Part of me wanted it, I think. I'm so stupid," she sniffled into his naked chest.

"You wanted a baby?" Daryl clarified, stroking the skin of her shoulders lightly.

"Not just any baby. Your baby. You just - I don't know. That night we had the fight and I slept downstairs..." she trailed off.

"Yeah, I can't forget that night," he breathed, instantly reliving her discovery of his scars, the way his hands burnt to push her away lest she see how damaged he truly was. He remembered the look in her eyes as they made love on the lounge room floor, the way her legs locked around his hips as he went to pull out, the way she pleaded with her eyes for him to finish inside of her.

"I just... you'd just told me your life story and I couldn't understand someone doing those things to you. I just wanted to give you everything that I had left. I wanted to make you so happy. You made me feel so protected and loved and I thought we had finally found somewhere safe enough to start over. It was stupid of me to think like that," she finished, her eyes not meeting his.

"I know how you feel," Daryl replied, turning his head to kiss her forehead gently.

"I'd always imagined I'd end up with kids. I always wanted the chance to be a better father than mine was. My mother made me promise a few months before she passed away that I'd only choose the best girl to spend my life with. She was dreamin' back then. I was nowhere near the right girl. My Georgia Peach was growin' up outta my reach on a little farm in Georgia," he finished, smiling softly down at her.

"That's not true. I probably hadn't even been conceived yet," she whispered which drew a small laugh from Daryl.

"Aah, yes, that's also true," he rolled on top of her, his arms supporting his weight and his face hovering just over hers.

"I love you, Beth Greene. I ain't never said those words to any other girl except you. I loved you a year ago, I love you today, and I promise I'm gonna love you for the rest of my life if you'll take me," he placed a soft kiss on the tip of her cold nose.

"You're not angry?" she whispered, her eyes so bottomless and brimming with fresh tears.

"How could I be? You're the only woman in the world I can ever see myself having a child with. I love everything about you, including this little tadpole," he wiggled further down the bed until his face was even with her flat stomach, his lips grazing her skin adoringly, placing tiny kisses all over her belly.

"I don't believe for a second that this will be easy, Beth. But if it's what you want, it's what I want, too."

Her stomach started trembling under his lips and he knew she was crying again. He rested his head against the warmth of her belly, hearing her breaths and her heartbeat pulse through her body. He knew it was most likely his overactive imagination, but if he closed his eyes and listened real closely, he swore he could hear one more heartbeat thrumming inside of her body.


	7. Chapter 7

She awoke as the rays of sunlight which snuck in through the boarded up window warmed her face. Her eyes blinked lazily in the early morning light, her entire body cocooned in the sensation of warmth as she noticed that Daryl had fallen asleep on top of her, pinning her to the bed and trapping their body heat together.

She let out a content sigh at the familiar feeling of waking up in bed with him. God, she'd missed that. It seems almost silly to pine after such an ordinary and uninteresting act. But for Beth, the entire charade of one of them waking before the other and kissing eachother until they squirmed, of rolling around playfully under the covers with warm hands and ticklish fingers, was the highlight of her day. She lived for the opportunity to see Daryl with his hair all mussed up and his sexy sleepy grin slapped on his face as she intertwined their legs together between the sheets.

Daryl let out a sigh as he slowly responded to her rhythmic stroking of his hair.

"Mmmmmmm-mf-nmfph," he murmured into the skin of her belly. Beth didn't even attempt to translate what he had said, simply enjoying his arms wrapping around her and squeezing her tighter against his warm body.

"Maggie's gonna be awake soon," she whispered softly, hating that she had to be the one to interupt this sheer heaven, but knowing that Maggie would be less than impressed to walk in on this scene.

"Don't care. Ain't leavin' neither of yer," he murmured stubbornly, turning his face to press wet kisses on the lowest portion of her stomach he could reach. She giggled out loud, wriggling underneath his ministrations.

"You'll care when she's putting a bullet through your head," she chided gently.

"I thought you were the one who wanted to tell her in the first place. What are you suddenly so afraid of?" he tore his lips away from her to glance up into her eyes.

"We'll tell her soon. I just don't think she'd appreciate finding out by accidentally walking in on-" she squealed as he cut her off with a completely unexpected kiss, his lips gentle yet passionate against hers. He pulled away, taking the time to admire the shocked and beautiful face of his angel staring up at him.

"Walk in on what? Us in bed together? Me on top of you, like this?" he growled in between kisses, loving the way her legs wrapped automatically around his hips, pulling him against her body in the most desirable way.

"I wonder what she'd say if she knew that little Beth Greene spreads her legs for Daryl Dixon," his hands grabbed the backs of her thighs, opening them just enough to competely slide between them, his arousal pressing prominently against her.

"I don't think she'd ever imagine some of the filthy words that come out of your mouth when I'm inside you," he grunted, loving the adorable mewling noises she made underneath him.

"She'd never guess that her virginal little sister likes it when I bruise her, or when I pound into her tight little body until she's scratching up my back and rutting against me because she's coming so goddamn hard. I bet Maggie's downstairs right now, eating her breakfast off the same table I fucked you on a few weeks ago. Remember that, sweetheart?"

Beth gasped, her own hand slapping against her mouth in an effort to withold the moan that threatened to escape.

"Or maybe she's just put her coffee cup down on the kitchen counter where I cable-tied your wrists together and took you from behind," he grinned as she let out a strangled yelp against his mouth.

"Daryl, stop!" her voice was muffled against the side of his neck.

"I wanna make you scream my name so loud she's gonna know what I'm doin' to you," he gritted his teeth as her hips tilted up against his. It was all he could do to resist tearing away the flimsy fabric of her underwear and sinking into her body, rocking into her until they were both shaking and spent.

"No, don't. Daryl, stop, please," her tiny hand were pressing persistently against the front of his chest as he pulled back to look down at her face, all playfulness suddenly dissipated.

"You alright? Did I hurt you?" his brow furrowed as he gave her a once-over with his eyes, looking for any part of her he'd squashed or injured.

"No, I-.. I'm... get off me," she choked out, her fists shoving uselessly against him as she tried to scramble out from under him, but his weight kept her pinned to the mattress.

"Beth? What's wrong?" he moved to restrain her arms, but was met with a fierce glare.

"I ain't lettin' you go until you tell me what-"

"Nauseous!"

That magic word seemed to flick the right switch in his brain as he released her so quickly she fell awkwardly out of bed, scrambling towards the bathroom just in time before the meager contents of her stomach landed in the toilet bowl.

He lay there in bed feeling as though he had just barely escaped with his life as he listened to the not-so-melodic harmony of her retching and coughing. At last the noises stopped. He gave her just though time to allow her to compose herself before he followed her into the bathroom. She sat in front of the toilet, her forehead covered in a thin sheen of sweat. She attempted to swat him away as he sank to his knees besides her and moved to push a few loose blonde tendrils off of her face.

"Don't. I feel like shit, Daryl. Just leave me alone," she grumbled, however Daryl could tell by the way she clung to his arm that she was not completely serious.

"How many times do I gotta tell you I ain't leavin' neither of you alone," he whispered gently. She let out a weak sigh, letting the weight of her body fall against him.

"Come on, princess. I know what you need," he lifted her effortlessly onto the bathroom counter. She flopped against him like a boneless ragdoll, her body weak from the nausea. Daryl grabbed for her toothbrush and toothpaste which she eagerly jammed into her mouth, scrubbing the acidic taste of morning sickness from her throat. Once she had rinsed an excessive amount of times, her hands reached for his shoulders, steadying herself as he peeled her shirt over her head and lifting her hips to allow her cotton shorts to fall to the ground.

He pulled her down from the counter, her head resting heavy against his chest as he stepped her backwards into the shower, cranking up the hot water tap and letting it spray directly on her front. She couldn't contain the sigh of relief at the sensation of warmth on her cold and weakened body.

"Can you hold yourself up? I'm getting drenched," he murmured into her ear, watching as she braced herself against the tiled wall before taking a step backwards to pull his own clothes off and toss them out of the shower cubicle. He was back behind her within seconds, his front pressed against her back and one hand resting on the flat of her belly protectively.

They stayed that way for a while, their bodies pressed together under the warm spray of water, her head resting against his shoulder and his lips pressing soft and light kisses in the crook of her neck. He eventually took the initiative to reach for the body wash and started washing her gently as if she were made of tissue paper, his hands moving feather-light over the skin of her back, her stomach, her chest.

"Feel any better?" he finally whispered, his voice hoarse. He felt her nodding her head before she wriggled around in his arms to face him, pressing her face to his chest and squeezing him tight against her body.

"Thank you," she mumbled, a simple statement that was filled with so much more.

"Come on, let's get you dried off before Maggie wonders where we-"

Daryl's sentence died before it could leave his mouth as he turned to reach for a towel and instead found Maggie standing in the open doorway of the bathroom, the doorknob still in her hand and her towel flung over her shoulder. She appeared frozen, perhaps from the sheer shock of what she was witnessing.

There was a heartbeat. A moment of silence. The calm before the storm. Daryl and Beth. Naked. Together. In the shower. His arms wrapped possessively around Beth's body.

"What the FUCK are you doing to my sister!" her voice was trembling, but loud and obnoxious all the same. Her eyes darted around the room for a suitable weapon before reaching for the knife attached to her belt, whipping it out and brandishing it uncertainly in front of her. Daryl heard Beth's groan as he grabbed desperately for a towel, maneuvering her body in front of his before wrapping the material around her figure to conceal both of them.

"Maggie, put it down," Beth started.

"No! Get the fuck away from her now or I will stab you! Now!" her pitch was slowly getting higher and higher with each threat, but her hand shook something terrible.

"Maggie, shut up. Just let me explain-"

"Explain what? I knew you were doing this, Daryl. I knew you were taking advantage of her! Why didn't you tell me, Beth? Why didn't you tell me he was doing this to you?" she shrieked, reaching for Beth's arm but finding it impossible to drag her away.

"Doing what to me?" her shower had obviously revived her somewhat, as her voice came clear and strong and left a streak of pride in Daryl that he mentally reminded himself to save for later when his life was not on the line.

"He's been using you! In exchange for protection! Isn't that right? Isn't that what I warned you about? I swear to god, Dixon, if you don't get the fuck away from her right now I'm going to cut off your-"

"Maggie!" Beth suddenly shouted in a voice so controlled and demanding that Maggie had no choice but to abandon her wordy threat to stare mesmerised at her younger sibling.

"Listen to me. Daryl has never hurt me. How dare you accuse him of that. He's the one who looked after me when Dad died. He's done more for me in these past few months than you have in my entire life," her voice sounded almost cold, and Maggie stood there wordlessly with her mouth opening and closing in shock as her brain registred the brutality of the words leaving Beth's mouth.

"He cares for me, Maggie," Beth breathed heavily, feeling Daryl's arms squeeze tighter around her at her words. "Please just calm down so we can explain everything to you," Beth pleaded, begging her sister to believe her words.

The knife clattered noisily against the bathroom tiles as it fell from Maggie's limp hand. She remained in the doorway, eyeing the two of them up in a different light, finally calculating the math that they had tried so hard to disguise since her arrival at the funeral home. Finally, she turned wordlessly, leaving the bathroom and stomping down the stairs.

Beth let out a loud sigh that she hadn't realised she'd been holding for the entire tense conversation.

She allowed Daryl to nudge her towards her bedroom and watch her as she pulled on her clothes, his hands absentmindedly dressing himself before he reached out for her again, feeling so incredibly nervous as if he were an awkward teenage love interest meeting her parents for the first time.

As they approached the living room they found Maggie sitting cross-legged on the couch, staring inquisitively into space and drumming her fingernails noisily against the arm of the couch.

"Sit down," she mumbled, pointing to the couch opposite her. Beth saw no point in arguing with her sister, especially not with the news she was about to recieve.

"So what is this? How long has it been happening? Why didn't you tell me?" she wasted no time with small talk.

"We were gonna tell you, but Glenn was so sick and we didn't want to cause any more stress," Beth replied, watching her sisters forehead furrow.

"Yes, because it wasn't stressful to walk in on you two in the shower together," she murmured, ignoring the stern look Beth was casting in her direction.

"So when did it start? Were we still at the prison?"

"No, Maggie. It was after we found this place. It just happened. It's been a few months now," Beth finished, unsure of how much detail to provide.

Maggie swallowed audibly, casting her eyes around the living room as if trying to decide which areas required an extra scrubbing.

"I can't believe this happened. It doesn't make any sense. Beth, you're so young. I never thought in a million years that you two would end up... t-together," she finally choked out, her face screwing up a little at the last word.

"I never planned for any of this to happen. I didn't even know how much I needed her until she was already mine," Daryl murmured in Maggie's direction.

"I just have one question. Are you happy?" she finally spoke, a question directed solely at her little sister.

"Yes, I am. Are you happy, Daryl?" Beth turned to look at him to find his eyes shining just a little too much for allergies.

"I ain't never been happier," he smiled as she leant forward, their lips brushing together softly. As he pulled away he heard Maggie's frustrated sigh.

"Ugh. This is gonna take some getting used to," she mumbled. Beth's laughter tinkled through the air.

"So Daryl Dixon has shacked up with my baby sister. Any more bombshells you wanna throw my way today?" Maggie laughed lightly, attempting to lighten the situation and not expecting the expression on Daryl's face.

"Well, yes, actually. No, we just... I don't think I can just say it..." Beth trailed off, trying to phrase the next sentence in such a way that would not cause Daryl to lose his genitals to an enraged Maggie.

"Beth's pregnant," Daryl blurted out. He always was a man of few words. However, these words had never been spoken before. Maggie's eyes widened momentarily, unsure of whether this was a joke. The downwards cast gaze of her sister seemed to confirm her worst fears.

"No. No fucking way. Just no," she stood up suddenly from the couch, stalking back and forth in front of the coffee table like a cornered leopard.

"Maggie, calm down," Beth started, but Maggie shook off her words.

"I swear to God, Daryl Dixon, you are giving me more and more reasons to cut off your testicles," she muttered, enjoying the somewhat terrified expression that settled upon his features at her words.

"Jesus Christ, Maggie. Don't you think you're over reacting a little?" Beth cried.

"Am I over reacting, Beth? Am I? Because let's see, last time someone we know got knocked up, I ended up cutting the damn thing out of her before she was shot in the head! Is that how you wanna go out, Beth? A bullet in your brain?" she exploded, collapsing into the armchair and admitting defeat. Her lips kept moving with the intention of spilling more unwanted information. She barely noticed Beth moving from Daryl's side to sit next to her, encasing one hand in her own.

"I know you're scared, Mags. I'm terrified. But maybe we've just gotta hope for the best, you know?" her voice was soothing. Maggie was reminded of a night from her own adolesence, after her first boyfriend had broken up with her. She'd been hysterical - crying and smashing every gift he'd ever given her. When Beth turned up at her bedroom door, awoken by her sisters rage, she'd been met with a disinterested snarl. But that little girl refused to leave, and had climbed into bed and held her hand all night long. That same little girl now sat besides her, a full grown woman, with full grown problems to match.

"I'm sorry," Maggie's voice broke, only seconds away from tears.

"But I just found you, Beth. I can't lose you again," Maggie started to sob, allowing Beth to pull her into her embrace, inhaling the scent of her skin and remembering how her long blonde hair would tickle irritatingly at her neck every time they hugged.

"You won't lose me. I promise."


	8. Chapter 8

Daryl awoke to the sound of loud knocking on his bedroom door. He grunted, angry at being awoken when he was sleeping so soundly.

"Guys? It's Maggie. Umm, are you awake?" her voice called out. The responsive grunt from Daryl did not seem to appease her.

"I'm coming in. I'm opening the door, okay? I don't want to see anything that might traumatise me, okay?" she warned as the door inched open ever-so-slowly. It was only at that moment that Daryl looked down and noticed Beth sleeping soundly in his arms, her body curled up peacefully next to his.

"Yes, Maggie. She's asleep. You can come in," he permitted grumpily, not quite prepared to face Maggie's grating voice and orders this early in the morning.

Maggie's head popped around the door frame, her eyes averted and closely focussing on a corner of the room.

"I just had to tell you guys that we're running out of food. We have peaches, still, but there's no more meat. We'll have to go on a run soon," she finished.

"Okay, I'll do it today," Daryl confirmed, wishing she'd just hurry up and get out of his bedroom. She smiled tightly before leaving, the door clicking shut lightly behind her. Daryl went to inch his arm out from under Beth but found that she was stirring and clinging to him despite his attempts to get away.

"Hmph, don't leave me," she grumbled, snuggling herself into the warmth of his chest.

"Gotta do it, princess. Gotta feed the both of yer, don't I?" he murmured gently, one hand tracing an invisible pattern down the side of her body to rest atop her stomach protectively.

"No, please, don't leave me alone with her. She's gonna drive me crazy," she mumbled.

"She's your sister. She's the only blood you have left," Daryl laughed low in his throat.

"Not anymore, Daryl. You've forgotten about someone," she smiled sleepily, nodding as she let his hand rub her belly gently.

"Little tadpole," he murmured. She wrinkled her nose at his nickname.

"Please take me with you, Daryl. Please. Every time you leave me with Maggie she asks me questions about us and it's awful and awkward and I can't escape her," she turned to face him, tilting her head up to place a soft kiss to his lips in hope of convincing him to agree with her.

"Nice try, beautiful. Ain't no way I'm going out there with you. Not now. Not in your condition. Too dangerous," he grunted, all too aware of her attempt to seduce him. Why did her lips have to be so goddamn sweet?

A sharp laugh escaped Beth's lips as she moved to straddle Daryl's body, noticing the sizeable morning wood bulging in his boxer briefs with a secretive grin.

"My condition? Who even uses that phrase anymore? I'm pregnant, Daryl, not disabled. Please don't treat me like an invalid or I'll smother you to death in your sleep," she swatted away the hand that was inching towards her breast.

"I can't help being overprotective. My baby is inside you. You're all delicate and shit," he winced as she slapped away his other hand.

"Goddamn it, woman. You can't just straddle my hard-on while topless and expect me to not try nothin'" he muttered.

"That's another thing. You can't tell me I'm too delicate to go on a run with you after what you did to me last night," she whispered in his ear, immediately feeling a familiar wetness seep between her thighs at the memories that flooded her brain.

"Hmm, really? Liked it, did ya?" he finally managed to persuade her swatting hands to leave him be as he palmed her breasts, feeling her nipples harden instantly under his ministrations.

Beth bit her lip to stifle the moan that threatened to escape her at the contact.

"Daryl, you're making me forget why I'm arguing with you," she grumbled, immediately realising that the tables had turned against her.

"That's what I was hoping to do, princess," his grinned as she started grinding her hips against him.

"Well, it's not working. I'm not remotely turned on," she murmured, attempting to produce a stern expression, although the red flush spreading over the top of her chest betrayed her statement.

"Is that so?" he sat up, the movement causing Beth to slide over the bulge in his pants, their bodies pressed so tightly together. He reached for her, his hand grasping the back of her neck to pull her down to him so he could whisper breathily into her ear.

"How bad do you wanna come with me?" Her hips jerked against his at the unintentional double entendre, desperate for friction.

"So bad. I'd do anything," she breathed, her fingers entwining with his before she pushed his hands over his head and away from her skin. She smiled at the groan that escaped him at the loss of contact.

"What are you playing at, girl?" he grunted as she grasped his wrists firmly in her hands over his head.

"Ssh, I'm just showing you how strong I am," she replied, placing a line of wet kisses on his chest before shimmying down the length of his body, trailing her lips over his stomach and into the trail of dark hair that was obstructed at the line of his boxer briefs.

"Beth... Jesus Christ," he murmured as he felt her ticklish fingers sliding into the band of his underwear and slowly pulling them down his hips. He heard her soft giggle against the skin of his hip as his cock sprung free, already engorged and pointing straight up, throbbing in anticipation.

"Mmm, what have I gotta do to prove myself to you, Dixon?" she moaned breathily, encasing his length in her hot little hand and slowly stroking him. Teasing. Torturing.

"Use your imagination," his eyes shut against his will as he felt her hot breath so close to where he needed her mouth.

Beth blinked up at him for a moment before running the flat of her tongue up his length, twirling it around the head to catch the droplets of precum. She could feel him humming beneath her, the tip of his tongue pressed between his teeth as he attempted to withhold the groans that were begging to escape. His hips bucked up as without warning she took him into her mouth, sinking down until he could feel the back of her throat convulsing around him.

"Holy fuck!" he spit out, one hand reaching down to run through her long curls before wincing as she immediately released her grip on his cock and slapped his hand away.

"Beth, what the f-" he exclaimed.

"No touching, baby. I wanna make a bet with you, Dixon," she whispered into the dimly lit room. His strangled yelp confirmed that he had heard her statement but was unable to concoct a better reply.

"I'm about to ride you until you can't remember your own fucking name. If I come first, I'll stay here while you go on the run. If I make you come first, you're taking me with you. Sound like something you can handle?" she smiled softly as she pulled herself up his body, their hips lining up as she thrust her heat back and forth against his length, spreading her wetness onto him.

"Deal." Daryl's eyes almost rolled back into his head as he watched Beth's hands come up to cup her own breasts, her fingers tugging gently on the nipples as she rocked her hips back and forth, aligning their hips in the correct position to slowly sink down onto his length. She let out a hiss at the sensation, feeling every inch of his member pulsing inside of her channel.

"You're gonna be the death of me, woman," he groaned, resisting the urge to thrust his hips up against hers.

"But what a way to go," she breathed before she started undulating her hips against him, sighing aloud at the intense bolt of pleasure that zapped down her spine.

Daryl's eyes closed against his will which he was immediately grateful for as he was spared the image of Beth rising and falling on top of him, her breasts bouncing directly in front of his face and fuelling the inferno in this groin that was begging him to give up the stupid bet and pump into her until he finished.

"Oh god, you feel so good inside-" Beth was cut off as he slapped his hand over her mouth to silence her. Dirty talk wasn't a rule they had discussed but he was having a hard enough time holding on as it was without hearing her lusty little voice breathe sinful things into his ear.

"No cheating, Greene," he grunted, his other hand moving to her hips and angling them backwards to slide even deeper, filling her to the hilt and causing a sharp gasp to escape her swollen lips.

Daryl gritted his teeth, suddenly unsure of how long he could continue this sweet torture. Beth's breaths were quickening, her fingers clenching at his desperately as she rocked closer and closer to the edge of sweet release. He knew she was on that delicate precipice, but so was he, and neither of them wanted to be the first to take that plunge.

Finally, Beth pulled one of Daryl's hands up to her breast, letting out a groan at the contact as she leaned forward to whisper one more request in his ear.

"I wanna feel you come inside me."

Daryl's eyes squeezed shut in his effort to maintain his footing on solid ground, but those sweet words escaping her as she bucked against his hips and moaned his name made it impossible to resist his need to come. His hips moved of their own accord, thrusting up against her twice more before he let go, his hazy mind barely recognising the pulsing sensations of Beth's own orgasm as he pulled her down against him, his arms wrapping incredibly tight around her body and squeezing her as he waited for his heartbeat to settle.

The only sound in the room was of their labored breathing. Finally, Beth lifted her head from his shoulder to place a wet kiss on his nose.

"I win, lover. Looks like you've got a run buddy," she grinned, taking great pleasure from the defeated look on Daryl's face as he stroked her hair back off her face.

"Beth, I-"

"No arguments. I'm going with you. As soon as my legs stop shaking I'm getting dressed and we're leaving," she mumbled defiantly, hearing Daryl's throaty laugh at her determination.

"Fine. A deal's a deal, princess. But just promise me that you'll listen to what I say, okay? No running off, no disappearing out of my sight, no being a hero, okay?"

Beth rolled her eyes dramatically as she reached for her clothes.

"Relax, Daryl. I'm a grown up. I can take care of myself," she teased.

"You're a goddamn pain in my ass is what you are," he replied, watching with interest as she pulled on her clothes.

"That's not me, that's probably just arthritis," she let out a shriek as he landed a smack across her ass as she bent over to pull up her jeans.

"Hurry up. I want to be done with this before I keel over from old age," he placed a warm kiss on her cheek before pulling on his clothes haphazardly and grabbing for his crossbow.

Downstairs, Maggie was standing at the kitchen counter boiling water for coffee. Glenn sat slumped against the kitchen table, halfway through a plate of what looked like powdered eggs.

"Alright, I'm off to get supplies and food. Any requests?" Daryl raised an eyebrow, waiting for Maggie to recite a list of supplies.

"Anything I can use to block out the sound of you banging my sister would be great," she grunted in reply, shooting him a disapproving look as she stirred the coffee into the hot water.

"Come on, Maggie. You know we're together. What's the big deal?" Beth had appeared, her head poking out from around Daryl's shoulder as she reached for her coffee expectantly.

"Just because I know it's happening, doesn't mean I want to hear it," she replied curtly. Beth met Glenn's eyes and smiled at the expression on his face.

"Oh come on, Maggie. Do I need to remind you of how many times you woke me up as a teenager after you'd snuck a boy into your room?" Beth teased, watching Glenn's eyebrows shoot so far up on his forehead that they disappeared into his hairline.

Maggie spun around to shoot Beth with a deathly glare, shushing her into silence immediately.

"I like this story. Tell me more," Glenn smiled weakly from the table, appraising Maggie with pride.

"Eat your damn eggs, Glenn," she snapped, ignoring his eye-rolling as he returned to his half finished breakfast.

"We need more supplies for the first aid kit, as much tinned food as you can get, and anything with protein. Those were the last of the powdered eggs," she continued in a sulkier tone to answer Daryl's initial question.

"Done. We'll be back before noon. Don't leave the house," Daryl wiped some traces of walker blood from one of his bolts before loading it into the crossbow and slinging it over his shoulder before pulling open the front door and breathing in the fresh morning air.

"You ready?" Beth appeared at his side, her hand stroking the handle of her knife protectively.

"Not yet. I think you're in need of an upgrade," he reached into the waistband of his jeans and retrieved the revolver, loading it with six bullets before holding it out to Beth. The weight of the gun hung from his forefinger as Beth stared at it uncertainly.

"For me? I'm not very good with a gun," she stammered, suddenly full of insecurities.

"Bullshit. I've seen you shoot walkers right between the eyes with one of these things. A knife ain't enough anymore. You'll be fine, Beth."

She took the gun, unprepared for the weight of it in her palm. She tucked it immediately into the waistband of her jeans and prayed she wouldn't have to reach for it on this run.


	9. Chapter 9

"Have you ever thought about names?"

Beth's question caught Daryl completely off-guard as they crunched their way through the forest in companiable silence.

"Names?" he echoed blankly.

"You know. For the tadpole," she smiled sweetly, her eyes glazing over a little.

"I thought we'd already chosen one. Tadpole. Tadpole Dixon. Ain't nobody messing with Tadpole Dixon," Daryl laughed as Beth swatted at his arm in annoyance.

"What if it's a girl? You gonna call her Tadpolina?" she muttered. He shrugged non-committedly.

She sighed loudly, her fingers intertwining with his.

"I was thinking... oh, never mind," she trailed off, glancing down at the ground as they overstepped a rotted leg lying amongst the leaves.

"Go on, tell me," Daryl encouraged.

"If it was a girl, maybe Annabelle. You know, after-"

"My mother." Daryl finished her sentence for her, letting the words hang in the dense atmosphere for a few moments.

"I don't know. It's up to you. I didn't know if you'd want to remember her..." Beth stammered.

"Beth, it's okay. I loved my mama, but she sure as hell wasn't the kind of role model I'd want for my own kid," he squeezed her tiny hand in his.

"I'm sorry. What about... Sophia?"

Her name suggestion startled him momentarily as he turned to face her. Memories that had been long-suppressed began to flood back into his mind - memories of Carol and Sophia and the hours he had spent desperately searching for that little girl because although he could never admit it to himself, much less the others, Sophia reminded Daryl of himself. He saw the same emptiness in her eyes that he had developed over years of watching their fathers beat their mothers. That empty expression never left her, not even when she came stumbling out of that barn on the farm.

"It was just an idea," he realised that Beth had taken his silence for a 'no' and he rushed to stop her.

"Beth, yes. Yes. Sophia. If it's a girl, it's Sophia. If it's a boy, I still vote for Tadpole Dixon," he smiled tightly to diffuse the emotion that had developed between them. She let out a soft chuckle.

"Not like there's gonna be any other snooty parents around to critisise our name choice anyway," she shrugged in defeat as she stepped past a line of trees and onto a deserted main road.

Their eyes scanned the horizon expectantly, looking for movement from walkers or humans and finding neither. Their ears were pricked, listening for the softest groan or footstep but hearing only a soft wind.

"Come on, I think there's a truck stop about a mile from here. Let's hurry," he encased her forearm in his hand to drag her along behind him as they set off in search of edible food.

Before long they came across the truck stop. The entire building consisted of a convenience store, a garage and three fuel pumps. It appeared to be in surprisingly good condition, the window panes of the store remained intact and the door opened after a few sharp nudges with the end of Daryl's crossbow.

The door swung open on creaky hinges, making Beth wince at the shrill squeak. She stepped cautiously into the dingy musty air of the convenience store. She squinted as the thick and dusty air blurred her vision in the dimly lit store. She heard Daryl step in behind her, shutting the door and wedging it shut with a tire iron which was laying on the cashier's counter.

"This place is gross," Beth coughed, glancing around the abandoned store. The counter top was thick with dust, a dirty white clock still ticking away on the wall next to the smashed television screen which she presumed used to display the security camera footage.

"Ain't the Four Seasons, but at least they've got Cheetos!" Daryl grabbed at a bag, checking the expiry date before throwing them to her.

"Great. I can grow a real healthy baby on a steady diet of tinned peaches and... soft cheetos," she spluttered as she spat out the cheesy snack in disgust.

"Tadpole Dixon is gonna love stale Cheetos, baby," Daryl muttered from the other side of the store as he levered open the till drawer of the cashier register, grabbing fistfuls of dollar bills and stuffing them into his bag to use for kindling. Beth watched him with interest as she absentmindedly abandoned the packet of Cheetos in exchange for some Funyuns with a decent amount of crunch remaining.

"You're pretty good at that theft thing, Daryl. You ever rob a place like this before?" she questioned half jokingly, her eyebrow raised inquisitively. He brushed off her question with a sly grin.

"You can thank my brother for all of these important life lessons. Who'd have thought they'd actually come in handy one day," he shrugged.

Beth turned to head towards the fridges holding the soft drinks at the back of the store. The lights were all off and there was an intensely overpowering aroma of milk that was so past its used-by date that it was practically solidified.

She began salvaging as many bottles of water and juice and sports drink as she could fit into her backpack, knowing that with food rations running low they needed all of the energy they could get from their liquids.

"You want a diet coke from 2009?" she called back to him, hearing his laughter echo in the empty store.

"That's sweet. How old were you then? Still in diapers?" came his retort.

"Har-de-har, so funny," she grumbled.

Daryl's head popped around the end of the shelving unit, a packet of Reese's Pieces in his hand.

"I'm going to check out the garage, see if there's any tools we can use back at the house. You gonna be okay in here? The door's jammed shut, so nobody can get in."

"Yes, of course. I'll grab as much food and supplies as I can fit into these bags," she smiled up at him.

"Good girl. See you in a bit. If anything happens - and I mean anything at all - just yell for me. Okay, baby? Just yell," he chose to ignore her exasperated expression as he loaded his crossbow and headed towards the door that exited into the garage that was built for completing minor services on trucks or cars doing long-distance journeys.

The door slammed shut behind him, the store falling back into a state of eery silence as Beth continued fumbling through the bottles in the refrigerator. The butt of the revolver dug painfully into her hip bone as she balanced on her heels. She absentmindedly pulled the gun from the waistband of her jeans, sliding it a few metres away to rest near a display of Altoids. Once she'd grabbed as many bottles of water as she could, she stood up slowly, stretching out the cramped muscles in her legs with a groan.

"Well, well, well. Look at what we've got here," came an unfamiliar drawl from directly behind her. She spun around so fast she almost lost her balance, flying backwards until her back hit the cool glass of the refrigerators.

A figure was slowly emerging from the shadows at the end of the aisle. The thick air made it hard for Beth to see his face, all she was able to recognise was a pair of hiking boots and the large hunting knife hanging from his wrist which glinted venomously in the small rays of sunlight streaming through the window.

"Daryl." She meant to scream his name, to holler as loud as she could just like he'd told her to do, but all that came out of her was a weak and pitiful whisper. She tried again, her brain begging her voice to cooperate with her. Again, there was no volume, no sound. Like a rabbit caught in the headlights.

"Who you tryna' yell for, hotcakes? Ain't nobody by that name in here. Only myself and a few close friends, you know?"

From behind the shadowy figure stepped three more men, all similarly dressed in hiking boots, ripped jeans and singlets. Each additional figure carried their own weapon: a machete, a tire iron and a rifle. The door to the staff-room closed softly as the last figure entered the store. Of course, Beth thought shamefully. There was one room she hadn't think to check. The staff room.

"What's yer name, kitten?" the stranger drawled in a southern accent that made Beth's skin crawl and her stomach churn. She shook her head, her words refusing to come.

Suddenly, he took three long strides until he was inches from her face. Finally, Beth saw his features come into focus. Dirty, pockmarked skin that looked caked in grease and grime. A straggly excuse for a beard that spread from his sideburns down to his chin. His nose was crooked, and there were countless cuts and scratches all over his face.

He drew his hand back before slapping her across the face with force, her head snapping to the left as her mouth hung open in shock.

"I asked you a question. Didn't your mama teach you any fucking manners?" he breathed into her ear. She let out a choked sob, shrinking away from him as much as she could.

"Do my friends and I gotta teach you a lesson or two about respecting men?" he continued, glancing back at his three cronies who were eyeing up Beth with interest. She caught sight of one of them starting to fiddle with the belt of his jeans and she felt her pupils dilate in fear.

"Beth. My name's Beth," she stammered quietly, hoping that her cooperation would at least delay their plans for her.

"Oh, Elizabeth. What a pretty name for such a pretty little girl like yourself, eh?" he grinned, exposing crooked yellowed teeth.

Beth swallowed hard, biting down the overwhelming nausea that blossomed in her stomach at the combination of panic and the scent of their overpowering body odour which reeked of whisky and cigarettes.

"I don't have anything worth stealing. All I got is bottles of water. Here, take 'em." She kicked the duffel bag gently towards the man in front of her, hoping foolishly that this was what he wanted. Her stomach turned as the man surveyed the contents of the duffel bag with an amused expression on his face.

"She thinks I want to rob her," he said with mirth, causing his cronies to laugh throatily.

Beth's mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, unsure of what she could possibly say to stall these men's advances.

"You see, Elizabeth, we got enough food and water. What I want is of an entirely different nature. It's not often you come across an attractive female such as yerself out here, is it boys?" he nodded behind him as the three men leered and nodded in agreement.

"In fact, I know from personal experience that I haven't been able to touch a woman in longer than I'd like to admit. Please excuse me," he trailed his hand across her face and down the side of her neck until he had grazed the side of her breast, laughing deep in his throat as she struggled to escape his caress.

"It'd be a real silly thing to do if I didn't take advantage of such an ideal situation, wouldn't it boys?"

Beth could feel her heartbeat pummeling in her ears as she stood there, numb, taking in the sight of the four men before her who were all starting to advance upon her.

"Don't touch me!" the word suddenly tore from her throat with such volume and power she surprised herself.

The stranger seemed taken aback by her sudden attitude, before a leer settled upon his face.

"I think we've got a fiesty one, boys," his hand grabbed a fistful of her hair, ripping it downwards and causing her head to snap back, her neck exposed to him.

"I like 'em with a bit of fight in 'em. Makes it so much more satisfying when I catch 'em. Are you gonna fight for your life, kitten?" his voice was harsh in her ear as she felt his hands on her body, pulling at the hem of her shirt and digging into the skin along the sides of her ribcage.

Her mind was reeling with too much information at once. She had to get away. She had to get to Daryl. She had to stop him from hurting her or the baby.

Without thinking, she saw him raise his arm to slap her across the face once more and knew that she could slide out from his grasp. She dodged to the left as he pulled back his arm, slipping out of his hold. She could see the edge of her revolver peeking from behind the shelving unit, and the door to the garage straight ahead. If she ran for it, she could make it.

A hand suddenly grabbed the back of her shirt, pulling her to the floor unceremoniously. Beth cried out as she felt the wind being knocked out of her lungs, hitting the floor hard as she braced her weight on her wrists to protect her stomach from landing on the tile floor of the shop. Her eyes swam as she struggled to catch her breath. She could feel one of the men straddling her back, his weight resting over her bottom and his clumsy fingers starting to pull at the waistband of her jeans.

She let out a sob, trying desperately to slide forward just enough until she was able to kick her leg upwards and connect with what she could only assume was his testicles judging by the loud cry that escaped him as he keeled over on top of her.

"Fuck! You stupid cunt!"

She cried out as she felt his hand back on her waist, turning her onto her back beneath him.

"You wanna play dirty, bitch?" he growled, his hands unzipped his jeans and pushed them off his hips, enjoying the wide-eyed panic on Beth's face.

One hand closed over her throat, squeezing tight.

"I was gonna be nice to you and kill you before my boys all had a turn, but you've hurt me, baby. Now I think I'm just gonna have to let you suffer," his spare hand ripped open the button of her jeans, laughing out loud as she shrieked, trying to wriggle out from under his weight. His hand squeezed tighter around her neck, silencing her screams as she gasped for air. She could hear the other men shouting encouragement, screaming obsenities as her hands pushed uselessly at the man's chest.

Her heartbeat was pummeling and she could feel her lungs fighting for air that wouldn't come. She was going to die. Her baby was going to die. And once they'd finished with her body they'd probably find and murder Daryl as well. They'd never get home. Maggie and Glenn would never know what had happened to them. Her hands stopped fighting with the man that was slowly squeezing the life out of her and dropped to her stomach, palms splayed over her her tummy as she silently said goodbye to the life she'd never even met.

Three bangs echoed in the far distance of her mind. She forced her eyes to open, willing herself to live for just a second longer. For herself. For Daryl. For the tadpole. The darkness was overwhelming, creeping into her brain. Suddenly, something warm and wet splattered over her face and neck and the crushing grip on her throat immediately released.

She inhaled so fast she expected her lungs to explode from over inflation. She blinked rapidly, every muscle in her body weak with relief at the oxygen flowing into her veins. The man was above her still, but a bolt protruded from his neck, spilling blood all over Beth as he hung above her. He was still alive, his eyes blinked in shock as he stared down at her, his hands reaching for his wound in awe before his eyes glazed over.

A pair of arms gripped the man under his arms and yanked him off of Beth. She heard his body hit the floor besides her.

A familiar form suddenly kneeled above her, pushing a tangle of blond hair from her face.

"Beth, it's me. I'm here. I'm sorry," that familiar deep voice filled her exhausted mind with relief and she couldn't escape the tears that leaked from her eyes.

"You're okay," she whispered.

Shakily she lifted her head and watched Daryl turn towards the man who was slowly bleeding to death on the floor besides her, sputtering nonsensical words with shaky breaths that gurgled with blood. With a sickening crunch, Daryl's boot came down on the man's shoulders, crushing the bones beneath his feet. He squealed in pain.

Daryl's hand grasped the end of the bolt that protruded from the man's neck in his fist, yanking it upwards and out of his neck. Beth gagged at the sickening squelch it made as it exited his throat, blood splattering over Daryl's jeans.

"Only one who's gonna suffer around here is you," he spit in the man's face as he brought his boot down once, twice, three times onto his neck. Finally with a gruesome crack, his neck snapped and his head lolled to the side, eyes unblinking and unseeing. Daryl did not stop, continually crushing the man's neck with his boot, his breaths coming hard and fast.

"Daryl. Stop," Beth choked out from her prone position on the floor of the store. He turned slowly to face her, and she gasped in fear at the expression on his face.

Animalistic. Predatory. A hunter. Unlike anything she'd ever seen before. She'd seen Daryl angry before, but this went beyond that simple emotion. His pupils were completely blown black and burning with an intensity that scared her.

"Look at what he tried to do to you," he grunted.

"He's dead! Please, just stop."

He took a deep breath as he turned back to observe the mutilated body of the stranger strewn across the tile floors, laying in a pool of congealed blood next to Beth, her jeans tugged awkwardly down her hips and her hair and face splattered in blood.

"Hold onto me," he scooped her up effortlessly into his arms, letting her head rest heavily against his shoulders as he overstepped the three dead cronies laying between the aisles.

He set her down on the cashier desk, grimacing at the purple bruises that were already flourishing against her alabaster skin.

"Fuck!" he spit out. He slowly rebuttoned her jeans and adjusted her shirt, checking her body for bruises and finding a handful of them peppered on her chest, her hips and her shoulders.

"What did they do to you, Beth? I came back in and heard their voices. I didn't even think. I took out three of them with the revolver and then I saw him on top of you with his dick out and I just... I shot him with the crossbow. Shot him in his fucking throat. What did they do, Beth? Where did they touch you?" he'd never spoken so many words at once before, and Beth's fuzzy head struggled to keep up with his rampage.

"They came out of nowhere. I tried to scream but I couldn't.. He said he was gonna- he started to- I thought I was dying..." she trailed off, her hands immediately going to her stomach protectively.

"It's my fault, Beth. I shouldn't have let you stay here by yourself... Fuck! If I had gotten back even a minute later, he would've..." he trailed off, the words too disgusting to even speak.

"I knew we shouldn't have come. I told you it wasn't safe. I can't believe I made that stupid fucking bet..."

Daryl's murderous rampage was stilled immediately at the sound of Beth's sobbing. She sat there perched on the edge of the counter, her entire body shaking uncontrollably, her lungs gasping for air to fuel her violent hiccuping cries. He wasted no time in going to her, reaching up to wipe her tears away which were slowly cutting tracks through the blood that stained her once porcelein skin.

"You're covered in blood. Come here," he murmured softly into her ear, scooping her up effortlessly, hating that he could feel each sob wrack her tiny frame. He slung the bag of supplies over his shoulder before kicking open the truck stop door. He knew they'd passed a gym on their way up this street, meaning it was likely there would be showers or at least running water to clean Beth up. Neither of them spoke, silence hung between them interrupted only by the sounds of her cries which were muffled into the leather of his vest.

They approached cautiously, Daryl keeping Beth securely behind him as he entered in silence, finding the place empty. He deposited Beth on the wooden bench while he cleared the change rooms quickly. He pulled a bottle of water from the bag of supplies before kicking it and his crossbow into the corner of a shower stall.

"Drink something, Beth. Here," he offered the bottle to her only to be completely ignored. She rocked quietly back and forth on the wooden bench, her knees pulled up to her chest. Her eyes appeared glazed over as she stared off into the distance.

"Beth. Drink. Now!" he reached for her face, forcing her to make eye contact with him. She flinched the second his hands touched her skin and he couldn't ignore the flicker of fear in her eyes. She solemnly took the water from him, drinking obediently until she'd drained half the bottle.

"Good girl. Come on. Let's get you cleaned up," Daryl pulled her up gently, his hands reaching for the buttons on her shirt to pull the sticky blood-soaked material off her skin. She stood unmoving before him, a blank expression on her face until he moved to unbutton her jeans.

Without warning she lashed out at him in fear.

"Don't touch me! Please, don't hurt me!" she choked out. Daryl refused to flinch, allowing her tiny fists to pummel helplessly against his chest before he reached for her wrist, gripping her tightly as she moved to run away from him.

"Beth-"

"No! Don't! Please! Don't do this!" She was trying to scramble away from him, hitting out at any part of him she could reach. She screamed out in panic as he wrapped his arms around her tight and pulling her body against his. He dragged her over to the mirror above the sink, softly cupping her face to allow her to see their reflection.

"It's me, Beth. It's just me. I ain't gonna hurt you, okay? I ain't those guys, I promise," he watched Beth's face closely as she stared back at their reflection. He immediately understood her fear. She was confused. Barely an hour earlier she had been pinned to the floor, her clothes ripped off, a stranger between her legs with his hands choking the life out of her throat. She went limp, drained of energy and fight.

"I'm not tryna' do nothin' to you, Beth. I just want to get you cleaned up. Okay?"

Finally she nodded gently. She watched curiously in the mirror as Daryl's hands unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans, pushing them softly down her hips until she was able to kick them off across the tiles.

"You trust me?" he breathed into her ear. She nodded once more, stronger this time. Daryl turned on the hot water tap, grimacing as only lukewarm water flowed from the shower head. He wound his arms tight around her torso, pushing her into the spray of the water and gently washing the dried blood from her hair and face.

She rested her head against the hard planes of Daryl's chest, concentrating on her breathing as he scrubbed at her skin. Her body ached all over from the fighting and the strangling and the crying.

"I thought I was dying. I said goodbye to our baby." Her voice was almost unrecognisable, soft and croaky.

He was on her immediately, his hands backing her up against the cold wall as his lips crashed down to hers with a fevour she'd never known before. She let him kiss her, knowing that he needed to reclaim what was almost taken from him by four strangers. His fingers ghosted over her neck, his voice raspy as he examined her bruises in the dim light.

He had no intention of fucking her. Not after what had almost happened, and certainly not in a dingy shower stall of an old dilapitated gym. She let him run his hands over her wet skin, pausing at every bruise and caressing them gently. This was his way of apologising, of ridding her of the pain she'd experienced with his own gentle touches.

His lips were urgent and hot on hers, her hands clutching at the fabric of his shirt before he sank to his knees in front of her.

She let her head rest against the tile wall as his face became even with her stomach. His eyes examined her skin before peppering countless wet and soft kisses over her stomach.

"I'm so sorry. Never again. Almost lost you. Almost lost both of you," he mumbled in between kisses. She realised that Daryl was sobbing into her belly, his face buried in her skin, murmuring words intended only for his child to hear.

"I love you. I love both of you. Never gonna let a thing happen to you. Can't ever apologise enough to you," he murmured softly. Beth absentmindedly threaded her fingers through his hair, holding him against her, allowing the heat from his body to warm her up.

"Daryl," she whispered into the echoing room. "You scared me in there. I've never seen you like that before." She shuddered as she remembered the absent look on his face, blood covering his skin, no trace of regret or disgust as he continued to crush the man's bones.

"I didn't mean to, Beth. I couldn't help it. I just remember seeing you there beneath him, and his hands were on your neck. You were blue, Beth. He was on top of you and he was pulling down your jeans, and I just-" his voice broke a little as he was forced to relive the entire event.

"I don't know what I would have done if anything had happened. If he'd hurt you. I couldn't live," he sobbed as she stroked his hair soothingly.

"You're the only good thing in my world. You and Tadpole. I won't fuck it up, Beth. I won't be like my father."

"You're nothing like him. You're a good man. You saved both of us," she whispered, hoping she wasn't about to burst into a fresh round of tears.

They stood under the spray of water until it ran cold, wrapped up in the other's embrace, alternating between kissing and crying, their tears intermingling with the cool water that ran in rivulets over their bodies and down the drain.

It was evening before they reached the safety of the funeral home. Daryl crashed unceremoniously through the front door, dumping the supplies they had grabbed on the floor of the hallway. Maggie came running to meet them, concern etched into every premature line on her face.

"Where were you guys? It's been 6 hours! I thought you were dead! Was there a hoarde of-" she immediately shut her mouth at the sight of Beth walking closely behind Daryl, her eyes red-rimmed from crying and the colourful bruises glowing across her neck.

"Fuck! Beth! What happened?" Maggie rushed forward to crush Beth in a fierce embrace, ignoring the pained squeal that erupted from the blonde.

"Fuck, Maggie, be gentle. Goddamn," Daryl swore as he watched Maggie pull Beth to the couch, forcing her to sit beside her and pulling her head into her lap.

"We broke into a truck stop. Daryl went to raid the garage and a group of rednecks found me in the store. They were gonna... Daryl killed them before they could do nothin' to me. He saved me. I'm fine. I'm gonna be fine," Beth's voice shook as she tried unsuccessfully to reassure her frustrated sister as she rocked Beth back and forth slowly in her arms like an oversized infant.

Beth opened her tear-blurred eyes to watch Daryl slide down the wall until he hit the floor, his head buried in his hands and his shoulders shaking with whatever emotion was wracking his body. Fear? Relief? Shock? Beth was feeling everything all at once as Maggie crushed their bodies together, hands unsure and weary as they patted her hair, her back, anywhere that wasn't bruised.

Her eyes closed, overcome with exhaustion. Every part of her body ached, every breath sore in her raw lungs. But despite her injuries and her fear and her shock, she allowed herself to relax into her sisters embrace. She was safe. Daryl was safe. Tadpole was safe.

Everything was going to be okay. For now.


	10. Chapter 10

Every night she woke up screaming.

It had been three months since the truck stop.

Three months since she'd been thrown to the ground, strangled, drenched in blood.

Each night without fail, Beth's tossing and turning would morph into blood-curdling screams as she bolted upright in bed, hands outreached in terror, eyes blown wide in the darkness of their room.

Daryl did not sleep. How could he? Not when he could anticipate the moment her nightmares began, when her breath would hitch and her heart would hammer under her skin. How could he sleep when the angel besides him fought an invisible battle against faceless nameless strangers?

He restrained her each time she awoke, pinning her arms to each side to prevent her from hurting herself. He cooed and hushed and made all the right sounds, whispered soothingly into her ears as she panted and choked and hiccuped in fear. And finally, once her breathing had slowed, he curled her body against his front. Spoons. She would always reach one hand back for him, to intertwine their fingers lazily before fitful sleep would envelop her once more.

Every night was similar, but no two nights were identical.

Daryl's light sleep was interrupted when he felt Beth tossing besides him. He rolled towards her, his arm slinging over her torso to still her movements.

"Don't. Don't. Don't." She began to mumble.

"Beth, you're having a nightmare," his voice cut through the darkness like a knife.

"Stop. Don't. Stop. Please." She was panting now.

"Beth. Wake up," his hand shook her shoulder softly but with enough pressure to jolt her.

"DON'T TOUCH ME. DON'T HURT ME. PLEASE!" She shot upright, a strangled cry escaping her. He mirrored each of her movements, pulling her arms down but not before she hit out at him, a fist connecting with his shoulder. He did not flinch at the impact, as it barely hurt. Instead he pulled her body back down besides him as she awoke from her nightmare, her breathing coming fast and hard.

He encased her tiny fist in his hands, kissing her knuckles as he did so because he knew they would soon bruise as a sign of her nocturnal right hooks.

"I'm sorry," she whispered into the room.

"S'okay. You ain't much of a punch, anyway," he shrugged it off goodnaturedly as he moved to curl her into a little spoon in his arms.

"No. I'm sorry about the nightmares. They won't stop," she admitted tearfully.

"Beth. Don't apologise. It's not your fault."

"But I'm keeping you awake. You can't get a good night's sleep. You'll get sick," she frowned.

"I'm fine. I'm not going nowhere. When are you gonna get that through your skull, woman?" he groaned, ignoring her attempts to push him away and pressing her body into his, her back to his chest.

"Maybe I should sleep downstairs," she whispered.

"Beth, shut up. You're sleeping next to me, that's that," he cut off her complaining as his hand slid over her stomach which was now rounding out noticeably.

"I ain't lettin' you outta my sight. Okay? Now try and get some sleep, princess."

"I can't go to sleep, Daryl. The dreams will come back. I can't stop them. I'm scared." Her voice shook on the last word which made Daryl's blood boil with anger for those redneck's that were long gone and yet still haunted his every living moment.

"They can't hurt you, baby. They're dead. You're safe here," he placed gentle kisses on her shoulder as he felt her start to sob in his arms.

"You didn't come back," she choked out.

"What?" his arms tightened considerably around her shaky form.

"In my dream. You didn't come back in time. That man, he's... raping me. They all do it. They take turns. I swear I can feel their hands on me. I can smell the whisky on their breath. I can hear their voices. All I can do is lie there and pray for you to come back, but you never do. You never come back. I think in my dream they've already k-killed-" she choked up again as sobs spilled from her lips.

"Sshhh, princess. Come on. Stop your tears, okay? Nobody can hurt you anymore. I'm right here. I'm always gonna be right here, baby." He gritted his teeth as he felt her backside pushing back into his groin, unsure if her squirming was intentional or not. He shifted backwards to regain a safe perimeter between their bodies once more.

"Please, Daryl," her sweet as sugar voice whispered into the darkness. He knew instantaneously what she was asking for, but his brain battled with his groin as she shifted her bottom backwards even further to push enticingly into his growing erection.

"Every time I close my eyes I can only see those men touching me. I don't want to remember them anymore, Daryl. I wanna be able to close my eyes and remember what it feels like when you touch me," her small hand reached for his, pulling it to her chest to rest atop her right breast.

Daryl swallowed hard at the sensation of her pebbled nipple tickling the palm of his hand through the cotton of her shirt. He hadn't touched her - not like that, anyway - since the day she was attacked. It wasn't as if he didn't want to ravage her at every given opportunity, he'd just assumed that sex would be a delicate topic considering the last time a man had touched her she'd barely escaped being raped. But Beth's intentions were clear enough right now, with her back arching into the warmth of his palm and her breathing coming faster as she grinded back against him.

"Beth... I don't know if I should..." he trailed off, his dick begging him to take advantage of Beth's advances, while his brain reminded him to respect her vulnerability. He already knew that he could never forgive himself if he did something she wasn't sure she wanted, but he also walked a dangerous tightrope of leaving her feeling rejected, as though he no longer desired her now that she'd been touched by another.

"You don't know what you want, Beth. I don't want to hurt-"

"I want this," she replied, her own hand wedging between their bodies to cup his hardness, giving it a squeeze and eliciting a strangled grunt from him before he pulled her hand away. She glanced back at him over her shoulder, a hint of shyness in her eyes.

"Please, Daryl. I need to feel your hands on me. I've missed you so much. Make me yours. Please," her baby blue eyes blinked innocently up at him.

"Stop begging, Beth," he choked out. He was torn in two. She knew he would do anything for her when she asked him like that, that he could never say no to those puppy dog eyes.

"I trust you," she whispered so softly that he almost didn't catch it, but those two words gave him just enough permission to lean towards her slowly. He felt her breath catch in suspense as she waited for his lips to brush against hers. When they finally did she sighed openly into his mouth, the hand that rested atop his on her breast gave an encouraging squeeze.

Her tongue slipped into his mouth easily, teasingly caressing his, her breath quickening as his hand palmed her flesh gently, loving the sensation of her pliable skin under his fingertips.

"Hmm, more. More, now," she mumbled, pushing his other hand down past the curve of her stomach and into her cotton shorts, her pelvis thrusting against the heel of his hand the moment he was touching her centre.

"Beth, slow down. It's not a race," he pulled back from her fevered kisses, her eyes blazing up at him. Before he could pull his hand from between her legs, she rolled onto her stomach. His trapped hand forcing him to roll with her, landing on her back. He pulled his hand free, immediately lifting his weight off of her. Her hands were already on her shorts, pushing them down her legs as she lifted her ass up in invitation.

He bit down on his tongue at the visual before him, however some brave and strong element of his mind immediately halted his sexual frustration. The sight of Beth face-down in front of him with her shorts shimmied down to her ankles and that perfect upturned ass just begging him to fuck her did not fill him with the testosterone that it would have previously done. Instead, he was filled with shame.

His hesitation irritated her. Her voice sounded hurt as she glanced back at him in frustration.

"What are you waiting for, Daryl? Don't you just wanna fuck me?"

But he didn't. Not like this. He wanted to see her face. He wanted to watch the little crease in her forehead that always accompanied her orgasms. He wanted to feel her nails digging into his back. He wanted to hear her breath in his ear. He wanted to feel their skin sliding together. The wanted to actually make love to her, because she was the mother of his child and the love of his life and the best thing that had ever happened to him.

"No, I don't. I can't do it like this." He spoke the words before realising what Beth would interpret them to mean. The instant flash of rejection that crossed her shadowed face felt like a knife to his heart as he felt her start to wriggle out from under him.

"Oh. Okay. That's fine. I'm sorry I asked-"

He reached for her wrist, preventing her from escaping.

"Beth, I didn't mean it like that-"

"No, no, no Daryl. I understand. You aren't attracted t-t-to me anymore. It's because I'm damaged and now I'm also fat and that's okay. I get it. You don't have to explain y-y-yourself. I'll just g-g-go," she stammered between sobs which she struggled to keep down.

"Jesus Christ, woman. Listen to me," he pleaded gently, pulling her back into his embrace against her will.

"I just meant that I wanna make love to you. I wanna be able to see your face and kiss you and hold you. How the flying fuck could you ever believe I'm not attracted to you anymore? Haven't you been paying attention to the persistant hard-on I've been struggling with every damn day because of you?" The pain in his heart immediately lessened at the sound of her shy laugh.

"And you ain't fat, Beth. You're pregnant with my baby, which is just about the hottest damn thing in the world," he continued for good measure, allowing his hand to caress the circumference of her belly lovingly.

"It is?" she wrinkled her nose up adorably at him, still self-conscious about her belly.

"Yes, Beth. Don't think I've forgotten about the added bonuses, either," he grinned as his palms ran over the sensitive skin of her breasts once more, producing a heavy sigh from Beth.

"I'm sorry. I'm just... emotional," she apologised, threading her fingers through his hair gently. He shook off her apology.

"Ain't your fault. I'll always love you, no matter how many times you punch me in your sleep," he grumbled softly, pressing soft kisses to the skin of her neck as she twisted to lie on her back below him, his arms bracing his body over hers.

"That's reassuring. Sometimes I don't know why you put up with me," she smiled up at him cheekily, loving the smile that graced his rugged features.

"That would be because you were an incredibly easy lay, and I'd be an idiot to give that up," he teased as she scoffed up at him, pulling him down for a kiss. He complied willingly, relishing in the long awaited taste of her lips on his, her tongue sliding shyly against his as if she'd forgotten about everything they'd shared in the past.

Although there was no denying that sex with Beth was quite possibly the single most heavenly experience left on Earth, he hadn't realised how much he'd missed just kissing her. Her kisses were always passionate, every touch of her lips against his igniting the kind of fireworks in his stomach that he wouldn't dare admit to anyone. That kind of shit was for girls, as far as he was concerned. The fact that his stomach still flipped around uncertainly within his abdomen each time she touched him, looked at him, kissed him, was a secret that would never be unlocked. That was private. Too private for even Beth to know.

"I'm in love with you, Beth," he groaned into her kiss, unsure of why he felt he always needed to remind her of this. Surely she knew. She had to know after everything they had been through, after everything they had survived. He could feel the smile that graced her lips as she pulled back from him momentarily, her pinks flushed an adorable shade of pink.

"Prove it," she whispered. He stopped denying himself any longer, allowing her to pull him in for another intoxicating kiss. He could feel everything, every stroke of her nimble fingers as they brushed over his back, across the battlefield of scars that covered his skin, to gain purchase on his shoulders. Her kisses were like sugar, addictive and sweet, drawing him in again and again until he felt the need to pull back if only to breathe.

For the first time in a long time there was no need to rush, no deadline to meet, no one to hide from. In between the intermingling of their soft breathing, the house was in complete silence. There wasn't even the solemn hoot of a night owl of the scampering of a squirrel or walker world stood still for them, frozen in time to give them this moment.

His hands ran confidently up her sides, knowing by now what she liked. Sure enough he felt her sharp intake of air as his finger skimmed her oversensitive skin. One hand wrapped around her thigh, hitching her leg over his hip and allowing him to properly nestle between her legs, his arms holding his weight off of her body to avoid squashing Tadpole between them. But goddamn was she hard to resist. She clung to him, trying to pull him down on top of her, needing to feel his warm and comforting weight over her, her comfort blanket.

"Careful. I don't wanna squash him," Daryl cast his gaze downwards towards her small bump with uncertainty, suddenly feeling thoroughly uneducated when she laughed at him teasingly.

"You ain't gonna squash him. He's got a lot of padding in there," she reassured him, noticing the furrow in his brow as he glared down at her skeptically before rolling to her side despite her disapproval.

"Hey! Where are you-" she was cut off as he gently pushed her onto her left side, the length of his body melting into the back of hers. Spoons. Of course.

"I'd feel better if he's - you know - out of the way," he placed an open mouthed kiss on the exposed area of her neck which produced a moan from Beth that tested his self-control.

"I don't care how we do it, I just need you inside me," she murmured, her hands reaching for him, wriggling her body back into his embrace.

"What? No foreplay?" he teased, his hands moving quickly to the soft flesh of her breasts, flicking at her nipples playfully before he wriggled out of his boxer briefs carelessly, exhaling sharply as the warmth of her backside was flush against his length.

"Don't tease me. It's been too long. Please." Her begging finally wearing away at his willpower as he allowed the tip of his member to graze against her centre. She expelled a choked moan, her hips undulating backwards against his, teasing him with her heat and her wetness and everything good that was left in this world.

He entered her slowly, carefully. Her walls contracted around him immediately, the intrusion no longer a familiar and regular occurence. It didn't help that her legs were resting together alongside his, making her channel feel all the more tighter. Fuck, he loved her. She was sighing - no - moaning as he thrust forward until he was buried to the hilt in her body.

"You right?" he managed to choke out, his brain attempting to restrain his muscles from pulling back out to thrust.

"Mm-hm. Just forgot how big you are," she whispered.

"Forgot how tight you are," he replied sharply, pulling her top leg up to rest over his to ease a little of the glorious friction that was making it damn near impossible to resist coming already. He'd already decided long before they'd reached this point that he was aiming to please her, not himself. He hadn't been with her in this way for too long to think and he damn sure wasn't going to be no one-pump chump.

He gritted his teeth against the pressure her body was exerting against his as he pulled out slowly before thrusting all the way in, a squeak escaping her as he bottomed out inside of her.

"Yes, feels good, more," she sighed gently, her head thrown back to rest on his shoulder as her hand remained on his hip, anticipating each thrust.

It didn't take much time for Daryl to be convinced that they needed to have sex in this position more often. He could feel all of her all at once, could hear her excitable breathing as it tickled his neck, could see her breasts heaving in his peripheral vision as she gasped and writhed and squirmed against him.

"Jesus Christ, woman," he groaned into her ear as his hand moved up from her hip to cup her breast, squeezing her flesh in his hands and eliciting yet another high-pitched squeak from the blonde.

"Don't stop touching me. Need you. Love you," she sputtered between gasps, her fingers entangling themselves in his hair, dragging his mouth to the junction between her neck and her shoulder. He took the hint, scraping his teeth against the sensitive spot which made her tighten and shudder alongside him.

"Beth... I gotta... ain't gonna last-" his hand moved fast from fondling her breast directly to where their bodies were joined, slickening his fingers with the moisture from her centre before moving up to teasingly circle her clitoris. He knew he wouldn't last much longer in his current condition, especially with the unintentional moans escaping her with each powerful thrust. He bit down on his tongue until he could taste blood as he willed himself to resist the powerful urge to come, his fingers moving faster and faster over and around her clit until she was suddenly and uncontrollably clenching around him.

Her orgasm hit her hard and unexpectedly, his hands steadying her hips as she jerked back against him, her mouth open in a silent cry and her back arching as she clamped down around him again and again. The sensation alone was enough to finish him off and with a final thrust he released inside of her, his groans muffled by her neck as he buried his face into the soft skin.

Silence. Their breathing was no longer peaceful, but harsh and haggard as they remained intertwined between the sheets, hearts racing and brains fuzzy with pleasure. His arms wrapped around her torso out of habit, pulling her close against his chest. He buried his face in her hair, deeply inhaling his favourite scent in the world.

"I love you," she murmured quietly into the darkness, turning her face towards him as his lips met hers for a lingering kiss.

"I love you more. Both of yer," Daryl grinned, kissing her back eagerly.

They lay there amongst the screwed up sheets, holding each other, halfway between asleep and awake. Daryl was quite sure that he could stay like this forever, with Beth and his child wrapped up warm and safe within his arms. He'd just started to drift off to sleep when he could feel Beth struggling out of his embrace.

"Oh. Oh! No. No," she was muttering. He reached for her automatically to pull her back to his warmth but she pushed him away with enough force he was awakened, immediately on edge. Beth was sitting upright, her knees to her chest, her brow furrowed .

"Daryl. Daryl, something's happening," she whispered, her voice cracking a little.

"What's wrong?" he grunted, observing her positioning as his fatigued mind started to slowly process her behaviour.

"It's the baby-" her arms were wrapped around her abdomen tight as she glanced down at him. He was kneeling in front of her within seconds, reaching for her uncertainly, afraid to hurt her even more.

"Shit. Are you in pain? Are you bleeding? I'll get Maggie-" he was pulling on the boxer briefs he had so haphazardly chucked into the corner of the room earlier, his mind spinning with possible complications and outcomes of whatever was happening to his Beth and his baby.

"Daryl, don't-"

"No, Beth! Let me get Maggie, please. She can help you-"

"Daryl! Stop! Come here!" he halted in his tracks, his mind still frazzled as he attempted to process the expression on Beth's face. There was no fear, no anxiety, no pain. Her hand reached out for his, and he placed his hand in hers without thinking twice. Without skipping a beat, she pulled him to her side, her forehead furrowed as if in concentration.

"What are you-" he began before she shushed him.

"Be quiet. I'm waiting for him to- oh! Yes, right there!" she brought his hand down to lay against the swell of her belly, slightly off-centre to the right of her belly button. Daryl was in a complete and utter state of confusion until he felt it.

A tiny little prod. Miniscule, really.

But then he felt another against the palm of his hand.

A kick. It was unmistakable. And again. Another. Stronger than the last.

His eyes met Beth's as understanding dawned on his face. She was smiling, and her eyes were watery and wider than he'd ever seen them before.

"Can you feel it?" her voice was adorably croaky as she blinked up at him. He was having a hard time maintaining the facade of manliness as he felt his eyes starting to tear. But then a tear fell from his eye and he couldn't pretend any longer. After all, this was Beth. If anyone could handle seeing him cry like a child, it was this woman who sat before him with his baby kicking in her womb.

"Tadpole," he managed to squeak out in a voice that was higher in pitch than he'd like to admit.

"Our Tadpole," she whispered back, letting him pull her back down onto the bed as she crawled down the length of her body to rest over her belly, his hands still expanded over her stomach to feel the intermittent kicks of his baby. Their baby.

"I love you so much," he murmured. Beth blinked up at the ceiling, her hands running through Daryl's hair and remained silent. She knew that the declaration was not intended for her, but for the little person that grew between them.


	11. Chapter 11

Beth tiptoed around her bedroom as quietly as a pregnant woman could. Her clumsy fingers reached for her jumper, her boots, her scarf.

She immediately flinched as the toe of her boot connected with the bedpost. Daryl was upright immediately, glaring at Beth incredulously.

"You sneaking out on me?" he grumbled, his voice erotically rough from sleeping.

"No, course not," Beth kept her eyes to the ground, her hands fidgeting awkwardly with the hem of her jumper.

"Then why aren't you stomping around the bedroom like a goddamn elephant like you usually do? You didn't want to wake me," he continued to glare at her as if she were a petulant child.

Beth huffed impatiently before she decided that it was only a waste of time to lie to Daryl.

"I was going to sit out the front," she puffed out her chest to seem as mature and responsible as possible considering she was carrying a bowling-bowl sized lump under her light jumper.

"Out the front of where?" he glanced around the room.

"Of the house," she hestitated, anticipating his reaction.

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me," he growled, suddenly much more alert and bossy, climbing out of bed and stalking towards her. She retreated automatically, expecting him to pull off her boots and jumper and wrestle her back into bed. Instead she watched in shock as he stormed into the bathroom to brush his teeth before pulling on a pair of ripped jeans. He emerged from the bathroom, snatching his crossbow from it's home alongside the bedroom door.

"Where are you going?" Beth stared at him, unsure if this was becoming an impromptu hunting grip.

"Wherever you are, Beth," he finished stubbornly, nodding his head for her to start maneuvering herself down the staircase to the front door.

"I thought you were gonna stop me or forbid me or something," she whispered thankfully as she edged down the staircase carefully. She felt Daryl's hand on her shoulder, steadying her as she continued her descent.

"Forbid you? Ain't your daddy, am I?" he shrugged as he followed closely behind her, ready to steady her if she wobbled.

"No, but-"

"Plus... I mean... I read somewhere once that pregnant women need to go in the sun. For the vitamins." He kept his gaze averted as her eyes darted around to meet his.

"You've been reading pregancy books?" Beth had to immediately fight the urge to giggle at the thought of Daryl sitting up late at night nose-deep reading What To Expect When You're Expecting by candelight.

"Nah, I mean... at the prison, when I was looking after Judith a bit. Found some next to the baby formulas on a run. Thought they'd be helpful. I dunno," he shrugged awkwardly, clearly embarrassed that Beth now knew this about him.

"I think that's really sweet, Daryl. She was so lucky to have you," Beth was quick to reassure him, smiling her sweetest smile up at his face.

"Dunno what difference it makes now," he wiped quickly at an eye before unlocking the front door and pulling it upen, the early morning sunlight bathing them both in warmth and a pale glow.

The yard was clear like always. Beth couldn't remember the last time a walker had stumbled across the funeral home. It had quickly been dispatched by a watchful Maggie who had been conveniently sitting on the porch when the poor dead bastard had stumbled through a clearing. He was obviously confused and lost, stumbling around, smelling for anything good enough to eat. Maggie had soon brained the fucker. A detached limb still lay by the tree in the front yard. Occasionally it twitched.

Beth edged her way down the stairs at the entryway of the porch, sitting down heavily on the moist wood. She breathed in deep, loving the forresty scent that filled her lungs and nose. Trees wet with rain, fresh dew, new grass, all the smells she used to take for granted when she lived on a farm. Now it was a blessed relief from the stench of rotting corpses.

Daryl wedged himself firmly into the space between Beth and the handrail of the stairs, loading a bolt into his crossbow and resting it at his feet.

"It's nice out here. Quiet. Lot nicer than hearing your sister nagging at me all damn day," Daryl grunted, his eyes narrow as they scanned the treeline expectantly.

"I used to hate the quiet when I was younger. Always tried to fill it with music or conversations or thoughts. Otherwise the depression would sink in," Beth murmured softly. She could hear his breathing hitch unexpectedly next to her.

"I'm sorry," Daryl's voice was quiet and full of pain at the knowledge of her past. She was quick to shake off his sympathy.

"Don't be. I was young and stupid. Looking back I realise that I had no idea how good my life was. I had a family. I had more than I needed. Yet somehow I still ended up trying to -" she paused, her eyes cast down towards the thin white scars across her wrists.

"All I know is that I regretted what I'd done the second I saw the blood. It wasn't what I wanted. I didn't want to die. I just wanted to feel something different. I haven't looked back since that day on the farm. It's almost ironic that I'm finally okay, now that I have no choice but to fight," Beth turned to look up at Daryl's face.

"You're a damn fool, Beth Greene," he mumbled.

"Maybe I am. But I don't hear you complaining," she smiled softly. She felt the warmth of his hand as he wrapped a protective arm around her shoulders, hugging her body tight into his side.

"I'm scared," she whispered, hoping that he hadn't heard her plea.

"I know you are. So am I. Scared half to death," he pressed a warm kiss to her temple, their fingers interlocking and resting upon the swell of her belly.

"I don't know how raise a baby in an apocalypse. I don't know how to keep it safe. I don't know how to do anythi-"

"Hey. What about Judith? I never seen anyone soothe that baby faster than you did. Except for me, of course," he rubbed her back gently.

"I loved Judith. But I couldn't save her. When the prison was falling... I couldn't find her," Beth voice cracked at the memory of the little girl, of her chubby cherubic cheeks and her soft downy hair as she gurgled and giggled and smiled up at her.

"You know she's safe. Between Carl and Rick, I doubt anything could ever happen to her," he rested his head atop hers comfortingly.

"I'm so anxious just thinking about all the things that can go wrong. We don't have the supplies. Women still died during childbirth when there were hospitals and doctors and medication, and-"

"Hey, don't," Daryl cut her off as her words hit a sensitive spot inside his stomach that made him feel queasy.

"Don't talk like that, Beth. It ain't gonna happen," he stated stubbornly.

"But what if it does?" Her voice was small, nervous.

"Stop it."

"Daryl-"

"Goddamn it!" He stood up so quickly that Beth immediately jumped back instinctively. His hand closed around her upper arm, yanking her to her feet and pushing her back into the entranceway of the house. Once the door had slammed shut and been relocked behind her, he pushed past her and headed up the stairs two at a time, leaving her confused and hurt, leaning against the door.

He reached the bathroom, locking himself in and bracing his hands on the side of the basin to glare at his reflection in the mirror. He felt nauseous and overwhelmed and frustrated and terrified, and it was all he could do to not slam his fist into the mirror and shatter it into a billion tiny fragments. After all, that's what he would have done a few years back. Probably would have punched a hole in the wall, too.

He heard a timid knocking on the door to the bathroom. He tried ignoring it, but he already knew who it belonged to and his brain screamed at him to respond to her.

"What?" he turned on the taps to pretend that he had a reason for being in the bathroom.

"Can I come in?" her voice was shaky and so innocent it was all he could do to not fling open that door and crush her body into his. He opted for silence instead because he couldn't bring himself to tell her to go away.

"Daryl, please don't do this to me," her pleads made his blood boil, the anger in his veins directed at himself rather than the girl on the other side of the door. He let out a growl of frustration before pulling open the door.

Beth exhaled sharply at the sight of Daryl suddenly before her, hulking over her, staring down at her intimidatingly. She steeled herself before inching into the bathroom besides him and closing the door behind herself, leaving them alone and closer than they'd been since he stormed off.

"Don't be angry with me. I hate it," she stated, her eyes flashing up at his.

"I ain't," he shrugged, hoping it appeared nonchalant.

"You are. You're afraid. It's okay. Just don't shut me out," she whispered, a small hand reaching up to stroke his cheek, feeling his stubble scratching her palm.

"I'm sorry. Fuck. I just... I don't like hearing you say those things. About dying and stuff," he encased her hand in his own, curling his fingers around hers.

"But it could happen. You have to know that," she gazed up at him, her eyes burning into his. He flinched at her statement, knowing it to be true.

She took two steps forward until she was standing directly before him, snaking her arms around his chest and burying her face in his chest. He could feel the bump of her stomach pressed tight against his abdomen, and his throat swelled with emotion.

"You have no fucking idea how much I need you," he whispered.

"You'll always have me," she replied.

"No, Beth. If you die I won't know what to do with myself. I don't know how I'll keep fighting to live if you're gone," he was mumbling all of this into her soft golden hair but she heard each word.

"I already told you, Daryl. You're gonna be the last man standing-" she stopped as Daryl let out a growl of frustration, stepping towards her until she found her back pressed against the tiled wall of the bathroom.

"You won't die, Beth, because you can't," he breathed, his fingers tangling into her hair, trying to observe all of her beauty at once and finding it completely impossible. She was perfect, too perfect for him and certainly too perfect to die.

"I can't keep doing this anymore, Beth. You're the only reason I'm still here. Before I had you I was barely surviving. Now I'm living. You're my goddamn light at the end of the tunnel and you can't tell me to move on if you die because you're inside me, Beth. You've made me human again, after all the shit that's been done to me," he paused momentarily to catch his breath.

She gazed up at him, stunned at the raw emotion behind his voice.

"I've hated myself for most of my life, but now I've got something to live for. I've got you and Tadpole and I'm happy for the first time in the history of my miserable fucking existence. Don't tell me to prepare for the worst, because I've been doing that my whole damn life. I can't lose you. You're the only thing I've done right in my life and I can't. I can't-"

An anguished noise ripped from his throat, cutting off his speech temporarily. Beth's heart was aching in her chest, hurting for the man before her who loved her so deeply that he was tearing himself apart at the thought of being alone.

"Kiss me," her hands came up to frame his face soothingly, stroking his temples, pushing his hair back.

His mouth came crashing down onto hers, soft and warm and familiar and perfect. His tongue slid against hers, hands tugging at her hair. She felt him take another step forward, their bodies pressed together perfectly with her back against the wall.

"Please tell me you're gonna fight for me. For Tadpole," his mouth tore away from hers as he sank to his knees in front of her as he had in the showers at that old gymnasium. His hands impatiently lifted the material of her shirt to press insistent kisses to the skin of her baby bump.

"Course I am. Never loved anyone like I love you two," Beth stroked his hair, his face, dug her fingers into the tight muscles of his shoulders as he knelt in front of her with his mouth peppering featherlight kisses all over her stomach.

As lovely and emotional as this felt, Beth couldn't help but feel each of the muscles in her back tightening and aching with each movement. Pregnancy was hard, and she was feeling the wear and tear on her back and shoulders. Daryl seemed to sense her discomfort automatically as he pulled back, glancing up at her worriedly.

"My muscles are killing me. They ache all day," she apologised, watching a little pain blossom in his eyes at her discomfort.

"Here. Get in the shower. The warmth might help. Get undressed," his voice was raspy from his tears. He ran the hot water, checking the temperature carefully before steadying her as she stepped under the stream, sighing as the warm water eased the ache in her overworked muscles.

"Aren't you gonna join me. Lord knows I can't wash my back anymore," she smiled cheekily at him, relishing in the grin that flashed across his face as he stripped dutifully and stepped in behind her, wrapping his arms around her body and pulling her body flush against his.

"I love you," his mouth was buried in her neck, his breath tickling her wet skin.

"I love you, too," she squeezed his hands in her own, loving the sensation of their bodies pressed together under the water.

"Marry me."

The words were whispered so softly into her ear she wondered for a moment if she was imagining them. But as she stood there under the stream of water with Daryl's crushing embrace pulling their bodies together, she realised that he had asked a legitimate question and was very likely in agony as he waited for her response.

"Of course," she replied quite matter-of-factly. After all, it's not as though she would ever turn down this man.

"Good. No matter what happens. Just wanna be yours."

"You've already put your baby inside me. I'd say we're pretty serious," she teased, turning in his arms to plant a wet kiss to his lips. He returned it eagerly, one hand framing her face while the other trailed down her side, tickling at the sensitive skin he found there.

Beth knew she would never tire of kissing this man. Daryl was withdrawn, so secretive and mysterious around others because he kept so much of his story to himself, yet each time their lips met Beth felt as though she was passing parts of himself onto her. Stories and emotions and experiences, all in the way that his lips moved effortlessly over hers, his hands touching her in all the right places.

She could feel his erection digging into her stomach, after all it was impossible to disguise while standing face-to-face in a shower. He made no move to fuck her, his sole focus was to kiss this woman until she understood just how much she meant to him. She was everything and he intended on reminding her of just how much he needed her.

Beth squirmed in his arms. She was throbbing, heat pooling between her legs at the combination of Daryl's intoxicating kisses and his gentle caresses and the hard length that was pressed into her belly. Tentatively she removed one hand from it's perch on his shoulder and grasped it firmly in her palm. She smirked to herself at the grunt that escaped him, and the way that his breathing hitched as she started to stroke him slowly.

"We don't gotta- you don't have to," he was mumbling into her mouth, his fingers digging into the skin of her hips at the sensation of her warm wet hand sliding over his sensitive flesh.

"But I want to. Do you?" she asked nervously, unsure of why she was suddenly not confident in her seduction techniques that had never failed before.

He grabbed her wrist, pulling her hand off of his length before reaching to turn off the taps. Beth huffed indignantly. It was bad enough being pregnant in the apocalypse with raging hormones that caused every glance from Daryl to make her panties uncomfortably wet. He was being too gentlemanly, too concerned, as though she was suddenly made of china. She watched his wet body step out of the shower into the humid air of the bathroom, rubbing a towel through his hair before turning to look at her quizzically.

She sighed, following his head and reaching for the towel he held in his outstretched palm. The moment her hand enclosed around the fabric he yanked her forward and into his arms, his mouth descending upon hers with just as much passion as they had in the shower. She couldn't contain the moan that reverberated through the bathroom.

"Didn't wanna... in the shower... too slippery," he breathed between kisses, his hands palming her breasts, appreciating the bountiful wonders of pregnancy that were now impossible to drag his eyes away from.

"Hmph, shut up, need you," she squealed as he lifted her quickly, depositing her on the bathroom vanity, her back to the mirror. His hands pulled apart her knees until he could slide in between them, both of them letting out an appreciative groan as his erection slide against her wet heat.

Beth could feel his hands trailing between them and smacked his arm out of the way. This was no time for that nonsense. She was pregnant and horny and she needed to feel him before she exploded.

"What?" he pulled back from her kiss.

"Don't want that. Want you. Please," she arched against him, trying to coax their bodies together.

Not one to argue, he wasted no time in lining them up before slowly inching his way inside of her until he could feel the bump of her cervix. He quickly withdrew a little. While he knew that sex was still relatively safe, he wasn't so confident about repeatedly stabbing the entrance to her uterus.

She whined softly at the sensation of fullness, her hips angling against his immediately. She loved this, their togetherness.

"Fuck, Beth," he whispered roughly into her shoulder, scraping at her skin with his teeth.

"Oh God, feels so good," she gasped, her fingers digging into his biceps as they flexed on either side of her. She lifted her legs higher around his waist, wrapping them right around his body to pull him into her with each thrust.

"So fucking perfect," he admired her from this angle, the way that her breasts were jiggling with each forward thrust, and her cheeks were flushed and her lips swollen. He was quite sure that he could never find anyone like Beth Greene.

"Don't stop, don't- Daryl, oh God!" she whimpered as he pulled her hips closer to the edge of the vanity, allowing his length to hit her g-spot with precision.

He grinned internally at the expression on Beth's face as he rocked into her faster. He could feel her legs tightening around his waist, her fingers digging tracks into the skin on his arms as he continued to pound into her, and he was more than a little surprised that it hadn't taken her more than a few minutes to reach the precipice.

His hand didn't even have time to reach her clitoris before she was suddenly clenching down around him, his mouth quickly descended to hers to swallow her cries as she shook in his arms.

"Fuck, that was fast," he grinned down at her while he continued to thrust into her lazily, awaiting her recovery.

"It's the hormones. I'm sorry," she smiled shyly up at him.

"Don't apologise. Nothing better than feeling you come while you're wrapped around my dick," he grunted, noticing the widening of her eyes at his words.

"Touch yourself, Beth. Wanna feel it again," he watched in excitement as she obediently trailed her hand down to where he was pounding into her, her fingers unsure at first before she started circling her clit, softly in rhythm to his thrusts.

"Faster, Beth," he sped up his thrusting, watching in awe as her fingers increased their pace also, a cry escaping her lips.

"So fucking beautiful. Having you like this. Watching you come, feeling how tight you are," he paused at the expression on her face as he could feel his own release fast approaching.

His spare hand cupped her face, tilting her head back until her their eyes met, burning into eachother with each thrust towards completion.

"Look at me, Beth. Watch me," he let out a groan as her pupils dilated under his fiery gaze. She was awestruck as his blue eyes stared so intently into hers she felt almost vulnerable despite their current physical activity. It was too much, too intense, his eyes focussed on hers and his fingers digging into her skin and their bodies arching together desperate for release. She had no choice but to let go, their mouths crashing together as he follow suit within seconds. They swallowed eachothers moans as their bodies arched together, her fingernails digging tracks into his shoulders and his hands bruising her hips.

She was so overcome with the waves of pleasure crashing over her that she barely registered the click of the bathroom door opening and the shrill cry of "Jesus FUCKING Christ!" before the door slammed shut once more.

She could feel her heartbeat racing as she started to come down from her high. Daryl exhaled heavily into the crook of her neck as he withdrew from her warmth.

"Shit, I'm a dead man" he grumbled as he glanced up at her.

"I think we're about to be lectured," Beth sighed, head falling back against the mirror in exhaustion.

Beth stifled a giggle at the vision of Maggie on her knees in front of Daryl, who was leaning against the hallway wall with an expression of utter displeasure upon his face.

She was gesturing to the handle of the bathroom door and speaking in a condescending tone that Beth was impressed Daryl hadn't punched her in the face.

"This is called a LOCK, okay? Now, I know you probably didn't have these in whatever piece of shit trailer you were raised in, but we LOCK doors for a reason. Namely so that I don't ever have to walk in on that again," she glared up at him, ignoring the smirk that was inching across his face.

"Sure, Maggie. Shouldn't be a problem," he shot a wink at Beth as he caught her sneaking into the hallway, her hand pressed to her mouth to quiet her laughter.

"Don't know what you're laughing about, Beth. It's not funny. I saw everything," she huffed indignantly at her younger sister.

"Lucky you," Beth giggled, ignoring the sour expression on Maggie's face.


	12. Chapter 12

"Okay, I'm making a list. What else do I need to write down?" Glenn tapped the end of the thick black marker against the kitchen table rhythmically, the steady thrumming quickly irritating the man skulking over the kitchen sink.

"I don't know, Glenn. It ain't like I've ever done this shit before, is it?" Daryl grunted in reply, raking his fingers through his unkempt hair, sweeping it out of his face. His eyes darted nervously across the treeline visible from the window above the kitchen sink, searching for walkers or animals or any kind of life.

"Well neither have I. Maggie says-"

"An epidural, if they have one," a sweet voice interrupted Glenn's thoughts as Beth emerged at the doorway to the kitchen, waddling into the room. Her stomach was now so distended it was almost comical. She'd remained slender everywhere else except for her stomach and her breasts, however the latter was reserved only for Daryl's prying eyes and hands.

She looked like a child trying to smuggle a watermelon under her shirt. Yet each and every time that Daryl caught a glimpse of her, his heart swelled with pride and his eyes watered until he was forced to blink rapidly and pretend he had allergies. She was beautiful. She had always been beautiful to him, even when she was skinny all over with the body of a teenager. Now she resembled a woman, her body morphing dramatically to accomodate the growing baby inside of her. Daryl's baby. Their tadpole.

Daryl soon realised that he was staring rather openly at Beth, her eyes glared back at him defensively.

"I don't think we'll find much in the way of pain relief if I'm honest," Daryl apologised, remembering that the majority of the vials and pills housed within that abandoned veterinary clinic were antibiotics, not analgesics.

"If that's the case, I'll have a gallon of peach schnapps to numb my pain," she joked, her hands smoothing the material of her oversized shirt over her bump lovingly.

Daryl tried to plaster a smile on his face, but he couldn't ignore the sheer terror that permeated his every thought at the knowledge of what would soon happen to her. Of course, women had been giving birth for centuries without hospitals and medications, but he wasn't about to ignore the masses of women who had died during childbirth throughout history. Lori included. The idea that anything was about to risk Beth's life made his stomach turn uncomfortably.

"What's the list for?" she questioned curiously, slowly pulling up a chair at the kitchen table and helping herself to Daryl's eggs which sat untouched in the centre of his plate.

"Daryl and I are heading to the vet clinic today to restock our supplies before you... you know..." he glanced nervously down to her bump.

"Push a watermelon out of a keyhole?" she finished, causing Glenn to splutter over his eggs in embarrassment.

"Pretty much. Any other requests apart from alcohol and drugs?" he glared down at his list before Daryl snatched the paper from his hands.

"What's even on this list of yours. I see... towels and hot water?" Daryl read aloud from the list, barely containing the laughter that threatened to escape.

"What? That's what everyone says!" Glenn argued.

"In the movies? I don't think towels or hot water are going to help Beth out much when there's a baby trying to tear her in half," he finished, crumpling the list in his hand and throwing it onto the kitchen table.

"Daryl, can I talk to you for a moment. Privately?" Beth glanced at Glenn meaningfully until he grumbled something about asking Maggie for advice and sidled out of the kitchen.

"What's wrong, baby?" he knelt before her immediately, placing an adorable kiss to her stomach.

"Do you have to go on a run?" she asked, all playfullness gone from her voice.

"Beth, I-"

"Don't, Daryl. Please. Why can't Maggie and Glenn go? I don't want you to leave me. I don't want anything to happen to you. Please," she reached for him, her hands threading through his hair.

"Beth, nothing's gonna happen, okay? I promise. It's just to the vet clinic. Maggie and I did it before. It's safe."

"That's what you said last time," her voice broke just for a second as her mind flashed back to that man on top of her, his hands scratching her skin as he pulled her jeans down, his breath heavy and whisky-soaked in her ear.

'I'm the fastest one. If anyone can do it, it's me. You know that, Beth. Please. You know I'll always come back to you," he leant forward, his lips brushing against the warm skin of her forehead.

"I've got so much to live for now, Beth. Nothing is going to stop me from being a father to our baby. Not all the walkers in Georgia, okay?" he could hear a soft sob building in her chest and he deeply and sincerely hated himself for leaving her when she was so vulnerable and so pregnant and so perfect.

"Do you promise?" she whispered shakily, her legs wrapping around his body in an attempt to keep him close.

"'Course I do. I love you, Beth. I'll be back, I promise," he pulled her lips to his because she always tasted so fucking sweet and he'd be lying if he pretended that he didn't crave that taste all day long. Her lips were so soft and compliant under his, her tongue sliding against his with ease and familiarity. When he finally pulled away from her intoxicating kiss, she was flushed.

Her eyes darted towards the commotion in the hallway as Glenn hauled an empty canvas bag down the stairs.

"We love you, too. Hurry back," she whispered, her eyes glistening as she stared into his.

"Hey, Daryl! Man! Can you help me find our walkie talkie? I can't find it!" came Glenn's voice, his head popping into the kitchen and looking relieved that all appeared to be fine between them.

"Right here, Glenn. Come on. I wanna get back before sunset," he stood quickly, drawing his revolver from his waistband and checking the bullets. Six rounds securely in the chamber, and another 18 bullets nestled safely in the pocket of his jeans. It was more than enough to get down to the vet clinic and back.

He was in desperate need of new bolts. As much as he adored his crossbow, it was useless without an adequate number of functional bolts. His small collection had slowly been dwindling as one by one they snapped or split while hunting buck in the forest. After all, bolts weren't supposed to survive a zombie apocalypse.

"Okay man, do you have my list?" Glenn inquired, clipping the walkie talkie onto his holster. Daryl rolled his eyes, pushing him gently towards the door.

"Towels and hot water, Glenn. That's all we need," he teased, loving the light that danced through Beth's eyes in laughter.

Beth remained on her chair at the kitchen table, her eyes watching the front door swing shut on heavy hinges. She could hear two sets of footsteps descending the small front porch, before their weight was absorbed by the soft grass that surrounded their home.

He was gone.

Maggie appeared at the bottom of the staircase, her hair still damp from her shower.

"Ah, they've already set off?" she peered out of the front window, trying to see through the thick and mysterious fog that had settled over the forest.

Beth mumbled something vaguely meaningful as she picked at her cuticles. She was nervous. She had every reason to be. She was very pregnant, but without a doctor, midwife or working ultrasound machine in this world she had no way of knowing the due date of this baby. There was a healthy 4 month window that their baby could have been conceived within, and it wasn't as if she'd had a bunch of children before to compare her size and symptoms against.

Although part of her wished that she could keep her baby inside of her forever, where it would never have to encounter a Walker, part of her was completely done with being pregnant. She'd never felt as vulnerable as she did right now. She couldn't run, so she was trapped inside the house. Even pulling herself up and down the stairs was a physical exercise that caused the muscles in her back to ache. The only times she'd left the security of the funeral home was to sit in the front yard, sandwiched between Maggie and Daryl who were both armed and ready to rip apart any creature living or undead that entered the clearing.

Every waking thought was a terrifying "What If?" situation. She lay awake most nights, listening to the soft snores of Daryl, his arm wrapped around her and his palm splayed out over her belly. What if I go into labor early and the baby isn't ready yet? What if the cord is wrapped around it's neck? What if my placenta detaches from my uterus and my baby suffocates? What if I bleed to death during childbirth? What if I die and the baby doesn't have a mother? What if a Walk-

No. She wouldn't allow herself to think upon that last thought.

"Are you sulking because he left you?" Maggie interrupted her depressing thoughts, successfully rerouting her mind to a new conversation. She shrugged carelessly, pushing the remaining eggs around Daryl's abandoned plate with disinterest. She didn't want to eat, she felt almost nauseous at the days that lay ahead of her.

"He'll be back, Beth. He would kill and roast a walker on a spit before letting one stop him coming home to you," she smiled reassuringly, her hand running up and down Beth's forearm in a manner that quickly became irritating.

"I'm going for a shower," she stood up suddenly, pushing Maggie away as she made her way towards the staircase.

A familiar surge of discomfort shot through her stomach as she started ascending the staircase. Maggie must have heard her gasp of pain, hurling herself into the entryway within milliseconds.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. It's fine. Baby's just kicking. Does it all the time now. Can't get any damn sleep at night," Beth muttered, continuing her ascent albeit slower than before.

"Call me if you need me, Beth," Maggie sing-songed irritatingly up the stairs. Beth fought the urge to roll her eyes.

She hadn't had a good night's sleep in the last month and a half. She was tired and agitated and Daryl had just left on a run in a zombie-infested world. Her stomach clenched at the thought of Daryl out there, surrounded by Walkers, his revolver running out of bullets, unable to pull the others from his pocket before one lunges at him and rips at his throat spraying hot red blood all over the road.

No.

That can't happen.

Not to Daryl.

Beth stepped into cubicle of the shower, sighing as the warm water waashed over her body and her aching muscles, immediately relaxing her. She let her weight rest against the tiles, too tired to even stand upright for much longer. Her hands ran over her belly lovingly, feeling the occasional kicks of their child beneath her palms.

"Please don't hurt me," she whispered into the bathroom, aware of how ridiculous she must have looked. She was attempting to bargain with her unborn child, a baby that was incapable of comprehension, incapable of controlling it's own birth.

"Please don't kill me."


	13. Chapter 13

A bullet tore through the softened skull of a rotting walker, it's corpse falling to the forest floor with a soft thud.

"Gross," Glenn muttered, peering down at the mutilated head of the zombie with disgust.

"Thought you'd be used to this shit by now," Daryl laughed.

"Still nasty. It will always be nasty," he replied quickly, kicking the remains out of his way and continuing up the road.

"I'm so glad I wasn't born into this world. Can you imagine? Not knowing what the world used to be like? What people used to be like?" Glenn continued.

"I mean, I'd consider my life to be shit. I know I have Maggie, but apart from that I spend every day fighting to survive. But at least I have memories, you know? I remember my family, and my friends, and the stupid shit I did when I was a teenager because I thought I was invincible. I don't know how I'd stay hopeful if I didn't have stuff like that to look back on," he paused as he walked directly into the back of Daryl who had come to a complete stop in front of him. His eyes were downturned as Glenn slowly realised the error of his ways.

"Oh shit, I'm sorry man. You know I didn't mean it like that. You and Beth are gonna be great, you know it's true-"

"It's fine. I'm not stupid enough to believe that our life is gonna be rainbows and sunshine, Glenn. I know I won't have another moment of peace in my life because I'm always gonna be watching that kid's back. Won't ever let them out of my sight. Won't ever let anything happen to them." He paused momentarily, breathing deep to avoid the sob that threatened to escape.

"But I also know that I can't protect our child from everything in this world. I've already lost so many people since this world went to shit, some of them were fighters. They were strong. You can't guarantee anything anymore. I can't look Beth in the eye and promise her that I'll protect our kid because I'd be lying, and she knows that."

"Are you scared?" Glenn asked softly, a hand coming up to rest on Daryl's shoulder in comfort.

"Never been so afraid in my life. I know this baby is gonna come soon, and I can't do anything for her when it does. I can't stop her pain. I can't save her if something goes wrong. I'm completely helpless. Ain't never been this way before," he abandoned his attempts at remaining stoic and allowed the tear that had been welling in his eye to slowly trail down his face.

Glenn stepped forward, wordlessly and nervously, pulling Daryl down into a hug. They'd never hugged before, and Daryl did not care to do it in the open woods where they were a target. He scrubbed at his face before pulling away from Glenn, a small smile exchanged before they set off in the direction of the veterinary clinic, a companionable silence hanging between them.

Before long, a familiar building loomed in the near distance. Daryl felt his stomach clench and unclench rhythmically at the sight of the petrol pumps, the abandoned garage and the convenience store. There was blood splattered in the window now, the only outward sign of what had happened inside that store.

"What's wrong?" Glenn had noticed his change of demeanor. He nodded towards the truck stop.

"Is that where you were attacked?" he murmured, taking in the building. Daryl's eyes burnt into the road before his feet, watching his footsteps and ignoring the intense urge to douse the building with gasoline and burn it to the ground with those men inside of it.

"What did they do to her?"

Daryl pointedly ignored the question, the memories flooding back into his head with a deep and resounding pain that felt like a knife to his heart.

"Did they... was she..." he trailed off, determined to end Daryl's silence.

He shrugged.

"What difference does it make? If I'd come back 30 seconds later, it would have been too late," he heard Glenn's sharp intake of air at his words.

"I'm sorry," his apology was heartfelt and warm. Daryl nodded in acceptance.

The broken veterinary sign was suddenly visible and his pace quickened. As if reliving the memory of almost losing Beth wasn't enough, he was filled with a sudden burning need to be back with her, to wrap her in his arms again to remind himself that she was alive and safe and his.

"Oh shit, looks like walkers got into here?" Glenn admired the smashed windows and littered corpses of rotting walkers that were strewn out the front of the clinic.

"That was your wife's fault. Shooting her damn gun like a goddamn signal flare," Daryl grunted, kicking the shattered glass from the door before climbing through into the reception with the birdcage full of visceral organs.

The white door at the end of the hallway stood wide open, the metal shelves where Daryl had climbed out of reach of the clawing hands were askew, the skylight still propped open. A walker still hung from the edge of the shelving unit from it's ribcage, however it's skull had since disintegrated to rot, rendering it harmless.

Glenn stood in awe of the endless cabinets of antibiotics and supplies before he went to work, pulling out anything and everything that may be of use. Daryl headed for the bandages, dressings, disinfectants and saline drips, filling his backpack with the equipment. He found a few unopened bulb syringes which he stuffed into his bag, sure that if they helped newborn puppies breathe they couldn't do a newborn human any harm.

Glenn crashed around through the broken glass that Daryl had smashed with his crossbow all those months before.

"Can we take all of this? It all looks useful. You never know," he pulled bottle after bottle of antibiotics from the shelf, stowing them in his bag.

"We should get going soon, sun's starting to go down," Daryl was gazing up through the open skylight when the broken buzz of interference on the walkie talkie suddenly filled the room.

"Glenn... Daryl?... I c-... I d..." Maggie's voice was broken and frazzled over the line, interrupted by white noise.

"Maggie? Maggie!" Glenn banged the end of the walkie talkie on the end of a desk, hoping to reset the shitty connection.

"Give it to me, Glenn," Daryl snatched it from his grasp before he could shatter the one link to Beth.

"Maggie, it's Daryl. What's wrong?" he paused, his heart in his throat.

"Beth. B- I know. I'm coming. I - c-... -ter, it's bloo-... co-...baby! Now!"

"I can't hear you. Say it again. What's wrong?"

More noise, none of it intelligible before Maggie's voice was back on the radio.

"B-... water's b-... -tractions... -... -ack, now!" her voice was shrill and desperate, even through the terrible audio quality of the walkie talkie. Daryl watched, unable to do anything to stop it as the talkie fell from his limp hand and hit the ground, bouncing once and landing at Glenn's feet. The same string of broken words kept running through his mind over and over again.

"Water's br-... -tractions. Blood."

He didn't need a degree in nursing or midwifery to fill in the gaps, to complete the sentence that Maggie had been screaming down the line into his ear.

Water's broken. Contractions. Blood.

He turned on his heel without a word, his hand grasping the handle of the bag full of supplies. He was running, not caring to inform Glenn of what he knew was happening, and relying solely on the man's habit of following him blindly. He heard Glenn's footfalls behind his as he hit the road, running at full speed now that the path was open before him. He could feel the muscles in his legs burning with exertion, his shoulders ached from the weight of the bag over his shoulder. The revolver dug into his hipbone but he ignored the discomfort.

His boots hit the road hard, his breath aching in his lungs. The truck stop passed by in a blur, his only thought was reaching home, reaching Beth, doing everything he could. When he finally saw the outline of the funeral home through the fog he let out a huff in relief, bounding up the porch steps and throwing himself into the entry way. Glenn followed a fair distance behind, wincing and clutching at a stitch in his side.

"Beth! Maggie!" his voice tore from his throat, his eyes glancing everywhere all at once, desperate to find them. The kitchen was empty, the chair she'd sat on this morning was pulled out, her plate of cold eggs still on the table.

"Daryl! Upstairs! In the bathroom!" came Maggie's broken voice. He leapt up the stairs, pulling himself into the small bathroom without grace. Maggie was kneeling on the floor over Beth's prone figure. The floor of the shower was still wet. Beth was naked except for the towel that Maggie had wrapped her up in. Her hair was damp her skin was pale and clammy, but her vivid eyes locked onto his the moment he ran into the room.

"Beth! Beth, are you okay?" he knelt besides her, reaching for her small hand which squeezed his.

"My water broke the second I stepped out of my shower. Having contractions every few minutes. It hurts," she grimaced, her brow furrowing.

"This ain't good. It's her first pregnancy. It's going too fast. It's not normal," Maggie was muttering, her hands fussing over Beth's body, taking her pulse at her wrist. Daryl couldn't help but notice that her pulse point lay directly under those jagged white scars and his heart stopped for a moment as another unpleasant memory flashed through his mind.

"Are you sure?" he heard Glenn crash through the door behind him, throwing the bags of medical supplies at Beth's feet and collapsing on top of the toilet in exhaustion, his skin covered in a thin sheet of sweat.

"There was blood, too. In her waters. Not a lot, but it still doesn't feel right. I just know that first pregnancies are supposed to happen much slower. There isn't a lot of time."

She shut up as Beth let out a harsh whimper as the beginning of a new contraction started to roll over her.

"Ah, fuck! It hurts, it hurts, it hurts." She whispered desperately, the hand that was in Daryl's now digging into the flesh of his forearm. He refused to wince, letting her do what she liked. After all, the pain she was currently feeling was a direct result of what he had done to her. He doubted a few more scars on his body would be noticeable.

"I know it hurts, but I can't give you anything. I don't know what's safe for you. I'm sorry!" Maggie looked torn into pieces as she watched her sister's contraction cause her to writhe in pain on the bathroom floor.

"It's okay. I'll be fine. Don't give me anything that might hurt the baby," Beth managed to spit out between tightly gritted teeth.

Maggie's eyes darted around the bathroom at the bags of supplies.

"Beth, I gotta... I'm sorry but... I gotta check how dilated you are," she glanced down at her sister warily.

Daryl promptly unzipped the supply bag and pulled a box of surgical gloves from within, handing Maggie a pair. She nodded her head in appreciation.

"Okay, I'm gonna... do it now, okay? Just tell me if it hurts," she looked so completely apologetic that Beth almost felt guilty.

"Can't hurt any worse than this, can it?" Beth grinned weakly as her contraction subsided.

"You're nearly there. I'd say over halfway," she glanced back at Daryl. Glenn was staring politely at the doorway, avoiding making eye contact with Beth or Daryl as his wife estimated the dilation of his sister-in-law's cervix.

"Shit. It won't be long til she's crowning."

Beth's back suddenly arched off the floor with another contraction, stronger than the others, ripping through her body with such ferocity that Daryl had to tear his eyes away because he couldn't watch this happen to her. Not his Beth. His sunshine.

Another hour passed, four of them cramped in the bathroom. Glenn had assumed the job of unpacking their supplies and preparing them for Maggie who had re-gloved her hands and re-measured Beth's cervix every 15 minutes, grimacing as the time came closer and closer.

Every few minutes Beth would seize up with another contraction, sometimes she'd scream out profanities and other times she'd only whimper as she had no strength left. Daryl had propped himself behind her, his legs on either side of her body and her head resting against his stomach. He brushed her hair off of her face and kissed her head and told her he loved her and that she was strong and she could do this, because he wasn't so sure that he could sit here in silence and listen to her screaming.

"Maggie, I need to push," Beth's voice was weak but there was a steely determination behind her eyes.

"You're crowning, Beth. I can feel the head. I need you to bear down," Maggie instructed. Beth's eyes squeezed shut in concentration as she dug her nails into Daryl's arms, pushing hard and feeling that horrible sensation of intense immeasurable pain emanating from her centre.

"Stop, baby. Breathe for a minute, okay?" Daryl breathed softly into her ear, reminding her to slow down.

"Okay, you ready? Another big one, Beth. Go!"

A strangled cry escaped Beth's throat as she pushed once more, the pain growing all the more unbearable.

"I can't. I can't. It hurts too much," she collapsed against Daryl, tears streaming freely from her eyes.

"You've gotta do it, Beth. The head's through your cervix now. You've got to push or the baby will suffocate. Push, Beth," Maggie was commanding from between Beth's legs, one hand on her sisters thigh and the other feeling for the head.

Beth cried out as another contraction rolled through her, making her push once more. She felt like she was being torn in half, as though she might be dying, and yet her sister still screamed up at her to keep pushing because it was too late to turn back, because her baby was only halfway out and if she gave up now, it would die.

She felt Daryl's erratic breath ruffling her hair, and looked down to where her hand dug into his with a vicelike grip.

"Come on, baby. You're so close. You can do it. Push, Beth. Now!"

And she did. Her heart hammered dangerously fast within her chest as she beared down as hard as she could, another cry torn from her throat.

"Yes, Beth! Come on! The head's almost out!" Maggie was crying now, tears splattering onto her t-shirt.

She felt so weak. She had nothing left to give. Her body was defeated, each and every muscle in her body begging her to stop pushing and rest. The pain at her centre was all-consuming, it was all she could focus on, all she could feel. It was almost too much. She was surprised she was still alive. Surely this pain was not compatible with human life.

"Beth!" she heard Maggie's voice in the distance.

"She's giving up!"

Beth's brow furrowed. How dare she. She was not - could not, give up on her child. Her lungs took a deep breath, steadying herself for what was surely to be the most terrible and most wonderful thing she would ever do. She pushed. She pushed harder than she thought possible, because she just wanted her baby to be out of her.

"Yes! Beth, good job. One more, sweetie. One more push. Once I've got the shoulders I can pull. Come on Beth!"

Fuck. It still wasn't over.

She felt Daryl's mouth next to her ear.

"One more. One more, and it's over. I know you can do it," he breathed. She almost wanted to argue with him, because surely he had no idea what she was feeling. She steeled herself for the final blow and pushed once more.

With a sudden and unbelievable grace, she felt Maggie's hands latch onto the tiny body as she grabbed the baby under the shoulders and pulled it gently from her body.

"Glenn! Get the towel! Pass me the scissors!"

Her head flew backwards at the immediate feeling of relief. She felt Daryl's hands on her face, smoothing her hair, kissing her.

But the bathroom was eerily quiet.

Too quiet.

"I need a bulb syringe. Glenn, pass me that one. Come on, baby. Come on," Beth could see Maggie rocking a bright pink bundle in her arms frantically.

"Fuck. No. Come on. Breathe." She was suctioning off water and mucous from it's tiny mouth and even tinier nostrils.

Daryl could feel his breath caught up in his lungs, unable to breathe it out. He was suffocating in the silence that fell upon that bathroom.

"Glenn! Quick, take her. Hold her like this," Maggie positioned the tiny body in Glenn's shaking arms before she leant forward, her mouth covering that tiny mouth and nose perfectly as she exhaled a small puff of air. It's rib cage immediately rose and fell once in response, but then stilled.

Maggie's steely gaze of determination was directed at the newborn in front of her. Again, she learnt forward, breathing another puff of life into it's prone figure. Another breath, another quiet puff as the air was expelled, and another terrifying moment of silence and nothingness.

Beth's heart ached as though someone was wrenching it from her chest as she watched her sister frantically filling her baby's lungs with oxygen, her hands percussing it's tiny ribs, trying to shake free as much water as possible.

Her head tipped back, tears spilling freely from her eyes. Daryl's face was above hers, his eyes wet and focussed on Maggie. Beth felt nothing but guilty. She was responsible for this pain that they both felt so deeply in their bones that she doubted she would ever be able to move on.

"Daryl. I'm sorry," her voice cracked, weakened and raw from her hours of screams as she'd fought to push out their baby, fought beyond her limits to become a mother. She'd never felt so weak. She'd failed their baby. She hadn't been strong enough, big enough, she hadn't fought hard enough for the life they had made. Even Lori had given her life for her daughter, yet here Beth sat, splayed on the bathroom tiles, weakened and heartbroken but very much alive.

A tear fell from his eye and splashed upon her cheek, intermingling with her own as they ran a watery course down the side of her face. As soon as she felt the droplet hit her skin, she heard something else.

Crying.

"Yes! Thank God! Yes!" Maggie was crying above the screams of the pink wriggling baby in her arms. Beth choked on the sob that have been slowly building inside her as she automatically reached out towards her baby. She could feel Daryl's chest vibrating against her back as he too started to cry. Maggie knelt by Beth's side, unwrapping the baby gently and placing it onto her chest. She cradled it gracefully as she had done to Judith back at the prison. Except that this baby was hers.

She counted the fingers and the toes, stroked the downy hair upon it's head and gazed into the blue eyes that stared back at her so intensely she immediately knew that this baby was perfectly theirs.

"You're amazing," Daryl breathed into her ear. She looked down, awestruck, at the tiny human screaming into her face. She loved her. More than she'd ever loved anyone else, even the man behind her. Each feature was perfection, from the soft pink veined skin of her eyelids, to the tiny cupids bow of her upper lip.

Maggie slid to the floor besides Beth in exhaustion, her head hitting the wall with a soft thud. Her breathing was heavy and her forehead was bathed in sweat.

"Thank you, Mags," Beth smiled wearily up at her sister. Maggie scoffed in response, brushing some of Beth's hair back from her face.

"Don't get too comfortable there, Bethy. You've still gotta deliver the afterbirth," she sighed.

"Oh," Beth groaned. "I just want to sleep," she murmured, resting her head back against Daryl's chest and closing her eyes but not before hearing Maggie's snide laughter.

"None of us will be getting much of that for the next year or so."

"Hey, Beth, just let us know before you fall asleep whether you want us to keep the placenta for you. I hear it's a delicacy!" Glenn laughed from across the bathroom floor. Beth heard the toilet roll that Daryl lobbed at him hit the side of his head and stun him into silence.

If Beth thought that her muscles were achy before she'd gone into labour, she was experiencing a whole different kind of pain now. Her body felt as though it had been pulled apart and re-organised all wrong. The muscles of her stomach burnt, there was an unpleasant throbbing from between her legs and she was sure she'd pulled something in her back from all of the writhing and pushing.

It was another hour before Daryl finally inched out from behind her, trying to not interrupt her sleep. He scooped her up in his arms as he had done a thousand times before, carrying her down the hallway towards their bedroom and tucking her beneath the sheets. She lay there in bed, happily between sleep and wakefulless. She could hear the soft cries of her daughter downstairs as Maggie rocked and cooed and sang to her. The sound of her baby's tears made her breasts ache something awful, and she internally groaned as she knew that she'd need to breastfeed. There were certainly no pumps in this apocalyptic wasteland.

Before long she felt Daryl re-enter the bedroom, slipping in behind her and wrapping her up in his arms.

"Hmmm, how's Sophia?" she mumbled, snuggling into his loving embrace. She felt him freeze for a moment behind her. They hadn't re-discussed names ever since that fateful trip to the truck stop. But Beth had remembered the most important element of that conversation: that Daryl had loved Carol's daughter just like he now loved his own.

"Sophia is beautiful. She's perfect. She's a tiny copy of you," he murmured soothingly into her ear, revelling in this togetherness. "You were amazing, Beth. You're so strong," he squeezed her.

"No, I thought I was gonna give up, Daryl. I didn't know it would be like that," she confessed.

"But you didn't give up. I ain't gonna pretend I know what you went through, but I'm damn grateful that you did. You made me a father. I can't ever thank you enough for being with me. God knows you deserve better, but-"

"Hey, hey, now. I'm not in the mood to hear you talk shit about yourself after I spent my whole day pushing your baby out. I can't see myself with anyone else, even if the world was still good. You're the only one that I'd happily push a baby out for," she grinned lazily, turning onto her back to pull his lips to hers for a brief but passionate kiss.

"But... for the record... no more babies. At least for now. I love Sophia with all of my heart but I do not love what she did to my body today," she added, loving the laughter that lit up his thoughtful face.

"You'll bounce back. How old are you now anyway? 15?" he teased, kissing her on the forehead before securing his arms around her once more, his ear pressed to her chest above her pummelling heartbeat.

The last thing she heard as she drifted off to sleep was the sounds of her perfect newborn daughter starting to fuss downstairs in her sisters arms. She had survived. She has endured the most intense and excrutiating pain imaginable, yet she was still here and in one piece. She let her heavy eyelids slip shut without a fight.


	14. Chapter 14

"Maggie! Can you hold her for a second? She just threw up all over me again," Beth cried out, allowing her sister to secure Sophia in her arms before grabbing for a towel to wipe down the front of her shirt where the milky white spit-up was soaking through the fabric.

"Secondhand milk. Delicious," Maggie wrinkled her nose before holding Sophia at arms length in case there was any breakfast left in her tiny stomach.

"Where are the boys?" Beth draped a clean towel over her shoulder before taking Sophia back, ensuring that the towel was placed under her chin to catch any remaining emissions.

Maggie was saved from having to answer as they heard the front door swing open before Daryl and Glenn strode into the living room carrying a small deer between them.

"Jesus Christ, is that Bambi?" Maggie exclaimed in disgust. Daryl shrugged off her comment as he hoisted the catch over his shoulder to shove it through the kitchen door and onto the table.

"Bambi's gonna feed your gigantic nagging mouth for at least a week," he replied smoothly.

"Ugh. Just don't let it bleed all over the dinner table," Maggie went running into the kitchen after him, elbowing Glenn in the ribs for his undisguised laughter at Daryl's comment.

Daryl re-emerged, letting Maggie deal with the cleanup of their catch. He strode towards Beth with lightening fast speed, needing to be with her after the last few hours sitting in a wet bush with Glenn.

"How are my girls?" he murmured softly, leaning down to capture Beth's lips in a fiery kiss that left her breathless. His hand swept through the downy hair on Sophia's head, pausing to squeeze her adorably chubby cheeks and press a kiss to her forehead.

"We were missin' Daddy," she replied under her breath. Daryl did not miss the twinkle in her blue eyes as she gazed up at him. It was the first time she'd actually referred to him as 'Daddy' and by the way his pupils dilated with interest, she knew it was a term of endearment she'd be using in the future.

"Missed you, too. Sick and tired of hunting with Glenn. He's a pain in my ass and he scares off all the big game," Daryl ignored Glenn's irritated scoff from the couch.

"Doesn't know when to shut his mouth," Daryl winced internally, not wishing to relive the conversation he had been forced to participate in as he awaited the arrival of something worth shooting in the woods with Glenn.

"So have you guys, like, you know, done it yet?" Glenn has suddenly asked out of nowhere. Daryl withheld the irritated sigh that threatened to escape him.

"Not since Sophia," he grumbled in reply, not planning on telling Glenn how his dry spell had almost been ended earlier that morning when Beth had attacked him as he walked back to their room after his shower.

She'd been sitting there softly stroking Sophia's hair as she slept soundly in her crib, but within seconds she was on him, her lips heated and soft against his and her hands tugging at his clothes almost violently. She'd managed to push him backwards towards the bed, straddling his hips and peppering delightfully sinful kisses along his neck and collarbone as his hands pulled at her shirt, craving the sweet sensation of her skin gliding under hands.

"Oh God, I need you," she whined into the skin of his shoulder as her bra was flung unceremoniously across the room and his hands tentatively cupped the flesh of her breasts, equal parts afraid of hurting her and intensely aroused by the feel of her warmth under his hands again.

"Good. Need you too," he somehow managed to choke out as her hips grinded against his, teasing him with the pleasure he knew was so close yet so far away. He pushed her back just far enough to bite down gently on the flesh of her breast, dragging his teeth along the skin teasingly and eliciting a cry of pleasure from Beth.

Suddenly another sound filled the room.

Crying.

He felt the insistence of Beth's mouth against his, could almost hear her praying that Sophia would soothe herself. Her ignorance only seemed to spur their baby daughter on as she screeched indignantly from her cot in the corner of the bedroom. Daryl felt the growl of frustration that escaped Beth.

Finally admitting defeat, Beth regretfully pulled herself off of him. His erection strained painfully against the confines of his jeans. He watched her as she shrugged on her shirt, leaving it open and draped teasingly over her chest. She leant over the crib, presenting her ass for his viewing pleasure momentarily, before straightening up with their daughter in her arms.

He had to take a few moments to calm down, willing his painful erection to retreat and his heart rate to slow. He was not in control of the way his body reacted towards hers. She was so beautiful, smelt like vanilla and spun sugar, and he wanted nothing more than to throw her onto the bed and show her just how much he adored her.

"I love you, Beth," he grumbled low in his throat, hoping that Glenn would not overhear his moment of emotional weakness.

"I love you, too. I just wish I had the chance to show you is all," Beth murmured good-naturedly as she bounced a grumbling Sophia in her arms.

"Welcome to parenthood, I guess," he replied, relishing in the chuckle that escaped her.

"Daryl! Are you in there? Do you want to set off soon?" Glenn's voice rang out down the hallway, causing Daryl to cringe internally at the prospect of hunting with that man.

"Looks like somebody else needs you right now," Beth tilted her head up to receive one last heated kiss before she pushed him insistently towards the door.

"But-" he tried to argue, desperate for any excuse to stay here with his new family and enjoy the simple pleasures that his life had denied him for the past forty years.

"We'll be right here waiting for you, Daryl. Go catch your future wife some dinner," she whispered into his ear as he grudgingly slung his crossbow over his shoulder.

Reflecting upon the conversation he was deeply regretful of his decision to leave her as he sat on a mound of wet earth with a talkative Glenn and freezing cold hands.

"I overheard Maggie saying that you're supposed to wait for six weeks from childbirth before sex."

Daryl sighed audibly at the realization that Glenn was still harping on about his personal affairs. He responded with a half-hearted shrug before mentally calculating the days that had passed since Sophia had been born.

"It's been eight weeks... you know, if you were keeping count," Glenn added quickly.

"Ain't been. Don't matter none. She's still in my damn bed every night, ain't she?" he snapped, his patience quickly dissipating at Glenn's prying questions. He felt Glenn retreat from his side as though awaiting Daryl hitting him in the back with his crossbow.

"Just making small talk, that's all," he mumbled.

"Shut up. Deer," Daryl hushed, nodding his head into the direction of a clearing as a beautiful doe entered the clearing. She was young, her legs still skinny and slightly uncertain as she maneuvered across the forest floor. Her eyes were large in her head, framed with beautifully thick long lashes that blink serenely at her surroundings before she bent her head to graze on a small patch of grass.

Daryl's hand shook as he loaded his crossbow, his mind unable to focus on the task at hand. The doe was so young, so innocent. Too young to be motherless. Daryl strained his ears and his eyes for any sign of the mother, the snap of a branch underhoof or the gentle snorts as it signalled to it's child.

After moments of watching and waiting, Daryl could only come to the conclusion that this doe was orphaned. Perhaps she had been separated by her mother by walkers or humans, perhaps she had watched her mother shot and strapped to a humans van. Perhaps she had been forced to witness the unthinkable, her mother, the only partner she had left in this bleak world, torn apart by Walkers. Listened to her mother's desperate cries as she was eaten alive. Slowly. Painfully.

The doe looked up momentarily as though sensing the intensity of Daryl's thoughts. He could have swore that their eyes met, those deep brown orbs staring deep into his, so deep that he felt compelled to lay his crossbow at his feet and back away. She was young. Innocent. Unstained by the ugliness in this world. In more ways than he liked to admit, the doe reminded him of Beth. The naivety. The foolish trust behind those eyes as she observed him from a distance. And Daryl was about to kill her.

He could feel Glenn poking him in the knee, unsure of why he hadn't just shot the deer yet. This was dinner, and untainted meat was getting harder and harder to come by. Daryl shook him off before breathing deep into the recesses of his lungs before raising his crossbow and shooting a single bolt. He watched it as if in slow motion, the beautiful arc as it sliced gracefully through the atmosphere before lodging itself into the doe's neck.

He watched, equal parts horrified and mesmerized as thick red blood spurted uncontrollably from the creature's neck. Her eyes haunted him, continuously staring into his soul as she bled onto the ground, her front legs buckling and causing her to drop to the floor with a distraught wail. She was screaming. Perhaps she felt betrayed. She had spotted the hunter, had stared into his eyes and trusted him to do her no harm. Yet here she lay, a pool of blood gathering at her hooves as she grunted and groaned in pain and confusion.

Daryl's fingernails bit into the flesh of his palm as he was forced to experience the memories of Beth between his legs on the bathroom floor, her pitiful screams and weak cries torn from her throat as she pushed their baby out of her body, her fingers clawing desperately at the skin on his arms as if begging for mercy.

"Come on, man. Let's get it out of here before the Walkers come," Daryl was shaken from his thoughts at Glenn's insistent tugging upon his arm. He nodded absently, pulling himself to his feet and shaking off the feeling of panic that had settled onto him. He approached the body, appraising it to ensure she was truly dead before he pulled it upright and over his shoulders. Glenn followed behind as he stomped off towards the house, his only focus being to kick open their front door and find Beth waiting for him.

Of course, he was never disappointed. She was always waiting eagerly for him. The moment he walked through the door and saw his angel standing there with their daughter in his arms, he was overcome with the need to just embrace her, to bury his nose into the crook of her neck and smell her sweetness and hear the hum of her blood through her veins.

She passed Sophia into his arms, her stomach burning at the protective gaze in his eyes as he looked down upon his daughter, suddenly appearing smaller than usual when wrapped up in his giant hands.

"I'm covered in vomit, I've gotta change my shirt," she whispered softly, pressing a warm kiss to Sophia's temple before she headed towards their bedroom.

She didn't even bother switching on the light as she headed towards the chest of drawers, pulling open the top drawer and rifling through it absentmindedly before she pulled out a pale pink cotton t-shirt. She carefully slipped her arms out of her soiled top, throwing it to the floor before glancing up at herself in the mirror above the drawers.

Her stomach was flat once more, the only reminder that she had once housed a baby in there was a small collection of short, pale stretch marks on her lower left side. Barely visible unless studied closely under a bright light, but still made her feel self conscious. Her fingers traced them lightly, feeling stupid for being embarrassed by the marks. Daryl's entire back was a battlefield of physical assault and abuse, yet he no longer had any problems with her seeing them.

Her fingers untangled her hair from it's messy ponytail, reaching for her hairbrush to tame it a little. She had just gotten the brush stuck in a particularly difficult tangle when she heard a low cough from the doorway and she spun around in surprise.

"You alright?" Daryl was standing in the doorway, Sophia no longer in his arms.

"Yeah," she smiled sweetly. "Was just trying to get these damn knots out my hair-" she was cut off in surprise as Daryl took two steps towards her, grabbing hold of the brush handle firmly.

"Let me," his words were a command, not a request. His spare hand went to her hip, turning her around until her bare back was pressed tight against his front. She faced herself in the mirror, watching his hands comb through her hair softly, a look of intense focus upon his hardened features.

"Don't worry. I'll be gentle," he whispered throatily as he started to brush out her hair. His choice of words sent a shiver down her spine and she had to check her reflection to make sure that her cheeks weren't flushed bright red.

He continued his task with surprising gentleness and tenderness, the brush slowly but surely untangling every last knot in her golden hair. For every section that he brushed out, he slipped it over her opposite shoulder, his fingers tickling against the sensitive skin at the back of her neck.

Finally he swept the last strand over her shoulder and placed a soft wet kiss to the overheated skin at the crook of her neck. Beth was not prepared for the erotic sensation of his lips on her neck and the unexpected sensation caused a response that was almost embarrassing. She couldn't contain the moan that escaped her parted lips as her head fell to the side, allowing access to more of the endless smooth skin on her shoulder and neck. Daryl lost no time in covering the area in wet kisses, his tongue darting out to lave at the sweet skin he found there. He glanced up at their reflection in time to watch Beth's eyes close and her nipples pebble visibly through the material of her bra. Gooseflesh spread down her arms and across the tops of her breasts and Daryl wanted to lick every inch of her until she was shuddering underneath him.

He dropped the hairbrush onto the floor as his hands strayed lower, tracing over the curve of her breasts teasingly before resting on her stomach, drifting slowly across the expanse of her now-flat stomach. He couldn't escape the groan of displeasure when she shifted away from his touch.

"What's wrong?" he grunted, suddenly very aroused and confused.

She was flushing red, either from embarrassment or arousal he couldn't tell. He was willing to bet it was a bit of both.

"Um, don't touch them," she gasped out.

"Touch what?" he was honestly confused now. His hands were on her stomach, nowhere near anything she would ever be embarrassed about.

"My stretch marks. They're ugly," she countered, fighting to turn in his arms. He let her, completely unsure of what she was referring to. He knew what stretch marks looked like but could find nothing of the sort on her milky white skin.

"What are you talking about?" he glanced over her with concern.

"Don't, stop looking at them. God, they're so embarrassing," she was covering her stomach nervously, letting out a cry of exasperation as he yanked her hands away and leant in close to examine the tiny lines that marked her perfect flesh. He couldn't contain the laughter that escaped him, immediately regretting it as he felt Beth retreat even further.

"Please, stop. I'm so-"

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me, woman," he growled, his words serious but his tone teasing. She glared down at him incredulously as if daring him to comment.

"This ain't nothin, Beth. You're a bloody psychopath if you think that these four little lines on your skin is gonna make me love you any less," he challenged her, watching the way that her eyebrow raised towards her hairline.

"You know, if anythin', just reminds me of how you got 'em. From our baby growin' inside you. And that gets me thinkin' on how we got that baby into yer in the first place, and that always turns me on," he finished, his eyes glinting in the darkness of the room.

"Really?" she hiccuped.

"Fuck yes, Beth. You could be growing a third arm and I'd still wanna fuck the living daylights out of you every goddamn day," he finished proudly, feeling her relax in his arms.

"Then why haven't you?" her answer was not what he expected, and he was slightly taken aback at her forwardness.

"Dunno, to be honest. Just thought you weren't ready for it, yet. Didn't wanna rush you or anything," he blinked down at her.

"So you still want me?" her voice was quiet and uncertain.

"Yes, Beth. You're all I can think about. I've missed you... missed being with you," he ducked down to her level, his lips catching hers in a passionate and warm kiss. He could feel her tensing in his arms at the intensity of his touch.

He couldn't withold the moan that escaped him at the taste of her on his tongue. So fucking sweet and perfectly his.

"Missed tasting you. God you're fucking perfect," he broke away momentarily, his hands digging into the skin of her hips, pulling her form tight against his. His thigh slid between her legs to support her as their tongues battled for dominance. She let out a moan that disappeared into his mouth as her hips grinded down against his leg without her permission. God, it had been so long since she'd had any release. And sweet Lord, he knew what he was doing.

Daryl could feel the heat and moisture from her core warming and wetting his leg through the fabric of his jeans and it was all he could do to not rip off her shorts and bury himself balls deep into her body. She was mewling into his mouth, her hips rubbing her centre delectably against the rough material of his jeans, squealing each time the denim made contact with her clit.

He was suddenly overcome with the need to taste something else, another part of her that he hadn't had the pleasure of devouring for a while. His hands gripped her hips tightly as he pushed her towards the bed. She fell onto her back, breathless and flushed, watching with dilated pupils as he stalked towards her. He pulled his shirt from his body, tossing it into the corner of the room before he was suddenly between her legs. She tensed up as his hands ripped open the button her her shorts and yanked them down her legs unceremoniously.  
Her panties followed, however Daryl tucked these into the back pocket of his jeans with a sly grin before snatching a slender ankle in each hand and pushing her legs over each of his shoulders as he settled between her legs comfortably.

"Ugh, Daryl," she gasped as he started planting progressively softer kisses along the skin of her inner thighs.

"Mph. Gonna eat you up until you come all over my tongue," he growled, nipping at her inner thigh with enough force to make her twitch in pain.

"Ouch! Daryl, that hurt-ohmyfuckinggodyesplease," she choked out as soon as she could feel the flat of his tongue running up her slit with an almost religious reverence. He couldn't hide the smug grin that settled over his face as he licked the same trail, this time stopping at the top of her slit to tease her clit with the tip of his tongue.

"Aah! Oh god, shit, you're so good at that," she murmured, her hips bucking up towards the warm contact of his tongue against her centre.

"Nuh-uh, no wiggling. I'm taking my goddamn time with you," he threw a heavy arm across her hips, keeping her from rising up to meet his mouth before slowly and teasingly returning to his tortuously slow licks.

His ego swelled as Beth thrashed beneath him, her hands gaining purchase in his hair and tugging almost painfully as he brought her closer and closer to the edge with his tongue circling her clit.

"My baby want something more?" he breathed against her inner thigh, enjoying the show of her shallow breathing and thrashing head. She nodded frantically, trying in vain to bring his mouth back to her centre.

"What do you want?" he traced his index finger lazily along her slit, stopping to circle her clitoris teasingly before dipping lower towards her centre.

"Hmmm, I want you," she breathed.

"You want me to what?" he grinned to himself as he watched her writhing underneath him.

"Oh Daryl, fuck. Please! Stop teasing me!"

He slid two long fingers into her heat to appease her cries, relieving the weight from across her hips to watch in awe as she started undulating her hips against his hand, fucking herself on his fingers.

"Like this?" he grunted, unsure of how much he could witness before blowing his load in his pants like a virgin highschooler.

"Oh god, right there. Right there, right- oh FUCK!" Beth's breathing hitched and Daryl took the hint to latch onto her clitoris with his mouth, his tongue flicking relentlessly against the nub as Beth started to shake, her legs clamping down over his shoulders as she continued to thrust herself against his fingers.

He kissed his way back down her thighs as he waited for her to return to Earth from her explosion. It took no time before her hands were reaching for his shoulders, pulling him forcefully up her body until he was on top of her, their lips only inches apart. Her fingers threaded through his hair, dragging his mouth down to hers in a heated kiss, a moan escaping her at the taste of herself on his tongue.

Shaking hands latched onto Daryl's waistband, tearing open the button and shoving the offending material down his legs before wrapping a slender hand around his length with confidence. This was what she needed. Regardless of how amazing Daryl's mouth was at bringing her to orgasm, she'd been denied the sensation of his thick cock pounding into her for far too long and she was craving it.

"Shit, Beth," he grunted in pleasure, his teeth gritted tightly with the effort of resisting his own release. It had been far too long, and the sensation of her delicate hand wrapped around his dick was causing his balls to tighten considerably.

"Beth, gotta stop doin' that 'fore it's too late," he gripped her wrist, tearing her hand away from his junk before he thoroughly embarassed himself. Her pupils were so dilated her once-blue eyes were now black.

"Daryl, please," she reached for him again, her long legs wrapping around his waist impatiently as her back arched beneath him causing the tip of his erection to rub enticingly along her slick sex. He bit down hard on the inside of his cheek to overpower the reflex to thrust forward and into her heat.

"Wait, we need-" he tore his mouth away from hers, his hand steadying her hips to prevent her from continuing to torture him. His eyes scanned the dark room quickly before he rolled off of her just enough to reach the bedside drawer.

"What are you doing?" Beth's breathy voice was incredibly alluring, but Daryl rifled through the drawer full of junk until he found what he was looking for.

"Oh. Of course," she smiled up at him cheekily as she eyed the foil package held between his thumb and forefinger.

"I should probably lock the door, too. Don't want any interruptions from that nosy cow," Beth crawled towards the end of the bed in such a seductive way that Daryl was becoming increasingly impatient with the sheath of latex he was rolling onto his dick.

She looked back at him over her shoulder as she reached the door, wiggling her backside at him teasingly as she flicked the lock on the handle. She barely had time to register the frustrated growl that came from behind her before Daryl had her pressed against the door, his hands rough on her waist as he pulled her to face him.

"Think you can just tease me like that after so many weeks?" he grinned down at her whilst his eyes maintained a predatory gaze. His dick twitched against the warm skin of her stomach as she bit her bottom lip.

"You'd better punish me," she whispered, her voice like liquid silk. His hands ran down to the backs of her thighs before he lifted her effortlessly, her legs wrapping securely around his waist as they had so many times before.

His eyes stared intensely into hers, asking silent permission which she granted with a gentle kiss which was soon interrupted by the moan that escaped both of them as he slid into her once more.

"Oh God," she breathed. Daryl did not respond, could not respond as her body clenched around his in welcoming.

"Feels like you've missed me," he grunted before withdrawing before slamming back into her. She threw her head back in pleasure, her fingernails digging into the skin of his shoulders as they lost themselves in the push-pull rhythm of fucking.

Daryl was completely undecided about whether he should close his eyes or not. He wanted to see her before him, wrapped around him completely with her eyes glazing over with every powerful thrust, but he also knew that the sight of her face as she came would be his undoing and he was not ready for that yet. Thank god for condoms he thought, knowing that the thin latex shield that separated him from her was the only reason he hadn't already blown his load.

She was squeaking with every thrust, her head resting against the bedroom door and her hips rolling to meet his.

"Am I hurtin' you?" Daryl narrowed his eyes, unsure if her sounds were of pleasure or pain. He was almost pushed over the edge when her eyes flew open at his concern.

"No... you're... gonna... oh fuck! Harder!" her head flew backwards it hit the door with a quiet thunk but the pain could not register over the pleasure that was coursing through her body.

Adrenaline coursed through his veins at her words, pushing her body back against the door and pounding into her faster. Her mouth was at his ear, urging him on, pleading and begging for him to fuck her harder.

He could hear the door frame rattling in the back of his mind, and silently berated himself for the sounds that Glenn and Maggie could no doubt hear from the kitchen downstairs. But regardless of the wrath he would face later, he was powerless to stop. He needed this. He needed to bury himself so far inside this woman that he was permanently burnt into her flesh, until he was joined with her in the way that only lovers can be.

He looked down at Beth once more and realized with irritation that she still wore her bra, the material hiding her from his sight.  
One hand went to the front closure, snapping the closure and causing the material to fly open, exposing her breasts to him.

"Wanna see 'em bounce," he breathed, loving the moan that Beth stifled at his words. He wanted to do a lot more to her breasts, but doubted that Beth would appreciate him suckling on her nipples when she already had another human doing that multiple times a day.

"Oh God, Daryl. Daryl- I..." she was stammering as she felt that burning fireball in her stomach grow and travel lower to where they were joined, where he was fucking her into the bedroom door and stroking against her inner walls and digging his hands into her flesh.

"Oh fuck. Oh fuck... I'm-" her voice was cut off by a whimper as he felt her thighs tighten around his waist as she came, her back arching and pushing those delicious breasts so enticingly into his face that he had no choice but to take a nipple into his mouth, biting down gently but firmly enough to make Beth shudder against him.

It was only a matter of seconds before he was falling over the edge himself, his hips stilling as he buried himself balls deep into her willing body and spilled himself into the condom.

He rested against the door, Beth still firmly in his arms as he waited for his breathing to slow. He could hear her breathy moans and whimpers and she sighed into his ear, her fingers ticklish against the back of his neck. He finally pulled back just enough to bring his lips down to hers in a heated kiss. His mouth tasted sweet, unusually sweet. He only pulled away when she made a startled squeak into his mouth and reached up to wipe his lips.

"What?" he grinned down at her wearily.

"Ummm, you've got..." she trailed off, blushing furiously.

"What's wrong?" he swept a strand of sweaty hair from her forehead and tucked it gently behind her ear.

"You taste like milk," she whispered before a giggle escaped her involuntarily.

"Like wh-" he paused momentarily before concluding that the sweet taste in his own mouth had nothing to do with her lips and everything to do with biting at her nipple as she came.

"Oh, it's sweet. Like the rest of you," he smiled cheekily, slowly setting her feet down to the floor.

"I love you," she laughed, smoothing his hair out of his face as she reached for her clothes. He swatted her hand out of the way to prevent her from redressing so fast.

"I love you, too. Don't get dressed. Haven't seen you this naked in far too long and I'm in no rush to leave this bedroom," he pleaded.

"Don't worry about that, Daddy. After that experience I will definitely be requiring a nice thorough fucking on a regular basis if that's okay with you," she whispered seductively as she dodged under his arm and grabbed for her panties which were still hanging out of his back pocket and slipping them on so slowly that Daryl was overcome with the desire to rip them back off of her again.

"I think I can handle that," his hand tangled in her hair and pulled her lips to his once more before he begrudgingly watched her dress and open their bedroom door, slipping out into the hallway with a backwards wink over her shoulder.


	15. Chapter 15

Daryl used to hate mornings with a passion.

Mornings were unwelcome and intrusive with their sunlight and brightness. Over the last two years, mornings had only signified another night of survival and the beginning of another fight. Back at the prison, Daryl would wake before the sun because at least he felt that he maintained some control that way. He would stalk the fence line, savagely gutting walkers as the sun began to rise and the birds began to chirp. Ironic, really.

But now that they were relatively safe in their own little corner of the world, mornings suddenly didn't seem so bad. Especially when his waking moment was always punctuated with the gurgling of his daughter from her crib at the food of the bed.

Or right now, for example, when Maggie had swept in to temporarily abduct Sophia for breakfast, and it had only taken thirty seconds before he was on top of her, her body trapped between the cage of his arms, her blue eyes sparkling up at him with so much love and desire and a fucking deep-seated need for him that he didn't understand. How she could look at him like that, as though he provided her the oxygen she breathed, was beyond his mental capacity.

"Stop it," she whispered, her eyes blinking slowly up at him. She knew. She always knew the exact moment he started to doubt himself. She could read the miniscule slump in his shoulders, the dip of his head as his brain filled with insecurities.

"Stop what?" he was trying to argue around the point, because he didn't like her knowing how he felt. It mustn't be an attractive quality for a lover, to have them constantly questioning your sanity each time you showed them love. But he couldn't help it. It was beaten puppy syndrome. He'd been let down so often in his life that he'd come to believe that he truly didn't deserve anything good. And Beth was certainly so good.

He dropped his head into the crook of her neck in defeat, her fingers twisting into his hair and soothing him.

"Stop doubting yourself. I love you," her fingers tugged sharply at his hair, jerking his head back far enough so that she could turn to kiss him. Her lips were warm, soft, sweet, perfect against his. Yes, mornings were no longer terrible. Daryl could wake like this every day for the rest of his life and never complain.

She let out a little moan against his lips. It wasn't fake, wasn't an exaggeration or a fabrication put in place to boost his confidence. It was soft and genuine and breathy against his lips and it made him kiss her harder, because she wanted him to.

He could feel her leg hook around his hip, pulling him down between her legs to rest against the place where she was wet and he was hard.

"Make love to me," her voice was a broken whisper against his ear as he placed hot kisses on the flesh of her neck, where her pulse hammered wildly beneath his lips.

How could he not? How could he deny her when she asked him for something he wanted with equal passion. Situations like this did not come along as often now that they were parents. Sophia was the love of his life, but she took up 95% of their time and energy, and when they fell into bed each night it was all they could do to remember to kick their boots off first. And now Beth was underneath him, naked and writhing and so fucking wet that it was all he could do to resist sinking into her. So he stopped resisting.

He slid into her. She was so familiar by now. Her body knew him, and adjusted to fit him perfectly. Their familiarity did nothing to stop the gasp that escaped her as he bottomed out inside of her warmth. Fuck, her warmth. Nothing could ever feel as intoxicating as the inside of Beth Greene wrapped around his dick like she was made for him. And perhaps she was.

He withdrew, slowly, teasingly, watching the little crease that formed between her eyes as her brow furrowed in concentration.

As he sank in once more, he tilted her hips up just enough to drag against the rough patch of nerves inside her walls that made her clench around him involuntarily. He gritted his teeth at the sensation, suddenly very aware that he wasn't wearing a damn condom. And she felt good. Too good.

Her cry of pleasure was muffled by her hand, which was pressed against her mouth, her eyes wide and staring into his with each coming together of their bodies. As much as Beth liked to be loud, liked to be fucked on desk and tables and bathroom vanities, she also appreciated this kind of love. Private. Intimate. Where only Daryl could hear and see what she felt, how her breath caught in her chest as her hips rocked against his.

Daryl's hands wondered south, brushing over her breasts tenderly. His head dipped down to tease a nipple with his tongue, enjoying the arch of her back and another soft cry of pleasure at his ministrations.

His fingers moved to where they were joined, practiced in how to please her. He pressed right above where he sank into her, spreading her wetness up to coat his fingers as he circled her clitoris. Her hips stuttered in her rhythm of meeting him halfway, her pupils blown wide as he played with her like only he knew how.

In any other circumstance, she would tell him she was coming. She would rut against him like a bitch in heat because the feeling that was building at the pit of her stomach was too much, too intense to contain in silence. But this time was different. No words were shared between them, but the look burning in her eyes paired with the throbbing of her core around him told Daryl just as much as words ever could.

She was coming. Around him. All over him. Her skin was glowing with a sheen of sweat, that pink flush spreading from her face down her decolletage and across her breasts as her fingernails dug into Daryl's bicep. He couldn't watch her any longer, so he returned his attention to her neck, gloriously exposed to him now that her head was thrown back. She was recovering, slowly but surely.

He didn't expect her to roll them over, his back resting against the headboard as she resituated herself on top of him, letting out a sigh as she sank down over his length.

He had words he needed to say to her, warning her that he was bareback, that she was testing the waters of his self control, when she started to ride him. God, she was perfect and tiny and she was bouncing in his lap like she was riding one of those damn horses from the farm.

Her breasts were in his face, his teeth taking every opportunity to graze against her nipples and enjoy the tilt of her hips as she took him in and the feel of her ass under his palms.

"Beth, we gotta be careful," he bit out, feeling a terrifying and familiar feeling in his balls that signified an orgasm.

She didn't respond, head thrown back as he hips moved against his faster. He could feel the tension within her walls, could feel her own orgasm hurtling towards her like a freight train.

"Beth, baby, please" he struggled to remain quiet, didn't want to scream at her, but his own release was no longer something he could control.

"Ain't got a condom, Beth. Gotta pull out," he was quite impressed that he had managed to construct a syntactically correct sentence, but it had fallen on deaf ears as Beth came for the second time, back bowing under the sensations coursing through her body.

Daryl knew his own body well enough by now that he knew he had approximately five seconds before he blew his load.

"Beth, Jesus Christ," he grunted out in defeat as he grasped her hips tight enough to bruise, lifting her up not a moment too soon, hips thrusting into thin air before he was coming, warm and sticky across her alabaster stomach.

"Oh God," it was the first thing Beth had said since they'd started all of this. He watched her while he waited for his heart rate to slow, saw the gaze of her eyes as they went from the rivulets of come that laced her skin to the tensed muscles of his biceps as he held her weight suspended above him.

"Almost gave me a heart attack," he breathed, surveying her cautiously as he gently returned her weight to his lap.

"I'm sorry," her voice sounded like it was about to break, like she was on the verge of tears.

He rushed to comfort her.

"Is there something you want to tell me?" he whispered into her hair, squeezing her warmth tight against his chest.

"I just wasn't thinking. I don't know. I'm sorry," she replied softly. A small shred of relief flowed through him at her words, but he still wanted to be sure.

"Do you want another baby?"

He heard her sniffle and immediately felt awful. If she wanted children, all she had to do was ask.

"Not now. In a few years, sure. But not now. I'm sorry if that's what you thought I was trying to do. It wasn't that. I just can't think straight sometimes, when you're inside me, I can't control myself," she was hiding her face in the crook of his neck out of shame or embarrassment, he wasn't sure.

"It's okay, Beth. I'm sorry if I bruised you. I just didn't want to do something to you that you'd regret. Those things can't be undone," he pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead before she turned to gaze into his eyes.

"I love you for it. I don't deserve you, Daryl Dixon," she smiled at the look of sheer disbelief etched into his features.

"That's the first time anyone's ever spoken that combination of words," he retorted, handing her his shirt to wipe at her stomach.

Suddenly, pounding footsteps were heard heading towards the bedroom door.

"Daryl! Beth!" Glenn's voice, timid but determined.

Daryl pulled up the sheets to wrap them around Beth's body, unsure of whether Glenn was going to burst in or not.

"Ain't decent!" he shouted in Glenn's direction, hoping to stall him a little while he searched for his boxers. Where in the fucking fuck did he leave them last night? Why did the little things like boxers and condoms always slip your mind when you needed them most?

He found them strewn between the sheets, pulling them on haphazardly before throwing open the door to their room. Glenn stood there with his hand over his rifle. He was breathless, but the lack of physical activity seemed to hint that it was from fear and not exertion. A bright flame of panic bloomed in Daryl's gut.

"Where's Sophia?" he demanded immediately, his eyes already searching past Glenn and out onto the landing.

"She's fine, she's safe. Maggie's locked them both in our bedroom."

"Why?" Daryl barely noticed that Beth had come to stand beside him in the doorway, one of his shirts pulled over her frame to cover her nudity.

"Glenn? What's wrong?" it was her soft and gentle voice that seemed to coax the words from Glenn's throat.

"There's someone at the door."

**Author's Note:**

> Please review if you enjoyed it. I appreciate every one!


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